Enter the Purple Dragons
by kimah36
Summary: There's a new gang in town called the Purple Dragons. Just a two bit street gang, but as their crimes become more elaborate and violent, the turtles realize another power is backing them. Saki Corp has taken over Sacks Industries, and that can only mean the Shredder is making his move. Can the turtles stop him before he gains a grip on NY? 2k14 verse with 2k12 elements.
1. Chapter 1: Strip Joint

**A/N: This story takes place in the same timeline as my Predators and Prey story. I guess that officially qualifies it as AU. 2k14 turtles, but introduction of characters and elements from 2k12 verse. **

**Enter the Purple Dragons**

For the fourth or fifth time today Donatello had Asha transforming. She was tired. Doing that was draining and he was also making her roar multiple times until her throat started hurting. Despite all that she willingly did it for Donnie. In the months after all the chaos, Asha and Donnie had become good friends. Always there was competition between the two about their martial arts skills, but it was always friendly.

"Just roar one more time Asha. I need it for my research." Donnie was recording it and writing notes. Asha had no idea what he was writing and really didn't care.

"That's what you said the last few times Donnie. My throat hurts man c'mon," Asha complained but prepared to do what she was asked.

Gathering her breath once again Asha let loose a roar that echoed through the sewer tunnels. When she was done she turned to find a satisfied Donnie writing notes and nodding.

"Are we done now? I gotta go to work. I'm gonna be late Don." Asha turned to head back to the lair to get her purse.

"Yeah sure c'mon," Donnie said finishing his notes and heading back towards the lair.

After a long search and a lot of heavy consideration Asha had found a job and moved out of the lair. She had told no one but Donnie what her job was. For some reason she was ashamed to tell Leo for fear of losing face in front of him, Mikey couldn't know for the constant cat calling so therefore April couldn't know either, and not Raphael because although they had been cool with one another they just weren't close enough for her to divulge that info with him. So that left Donnie. He didn't judge her and he didn't seem to change his opinion about her either. She was happy about that, because if her uncle could see her now he would be ashamed that the young woman he raised was now working at a gentleman's club as a stripper. Thinking of her uncle always brought feelings of sadness and guilt, but she pushed it away like she usually did.

However there was more to it than merely finding a job. She had to find the right one. One that allowed her to stay true to her real goal. Asha had not forgotten the Foot Clan, and those behind the kidnapping and murder of five innocent children1. She had sworn a vow of revenge after all, and would pursue it either to her end or to the end of the one who called himself the Shredder. The strip club afforded the perfect opportunity to engage people when their guards were down. Anytime naked women and alcohol were involved, there was always a morsel of information to be scooped up when it fell from the table. Not to mention this particular club was called Carl and Lance's Angel Nest, or C.L.A.N for short. Asha had done her homework and found that the owners had gotten a significant donation for start-up from Saki Corp. Sacks had changed the name to Saki Corp in order to lessen the legal blowback from the Sacks Group involvement in the terroristic plot against the city. Asha had yet to understand the connection between a high end strip club and a large company like Saki Corporation. It made sense to her for these men to create a place where they could relax among themselves, and perhaps do a little business without becoming suspicious to others. She felt she could gather important information by simply being in the right place, listening to the right people. She was far from a detective, but she was an expert at hunting. Hunting required patience above all else. Understanding of the environment, and observation of your quarry's patterns and habits. Do anything other than that, and you were asking for an unsuccessful hunt at least, your own demise at most.

They weren't too far away from the lair. Asha resumed her human form. She stretched as she walked trying to limber up for work tonight. Changing was exhausting. She wouldn't be able to change again until at least another 24 hours. There were limits and she was quickly approaching her ceiling for tolerating such drastic fluctuations between the two forms. Donnie noticed the grimace she was trying to hide. He'd gotten so wrapped up in gathering data from her, that he didn't think about the toll it was taking on her physically.

"Asha, I'm sorry," he said adjusting his glasses and placing a large affectionate hand on her shoulder. "I shouldn't have pushed the issue. You gotta stop me when I get like that next time. Don't let me get carried away with research, because I absolutely will."

Asha stopped dead in her tracks, hands in her pants pockets as she looked up at her tall genius friend.

"Stop you? When you're doing research? You must think I'm stupid or something Donnie. Nobody can 'stop you' when you have that look on your face and you know it," she said smiling up at him. He pretended to be oblivious to what she was talking about.

"What look, I don't have a look," he said grinning back. He had heard tales of this supposed certain face he made when he was concentrating. He had a hard time believing it. He most certainly did not make a stupid face while working.

"You know what Donnie, I can't with you right now," she said giggling at him feigning ignorance. He had the cutest look of innocence on his face. He just shrugged, still smiling.

"You get this really serious brow furrow going first off," she said smiling broadly.

"Impossible. I lack eyebrows," he said dismissing it.

"Then the very tip of your tongue pokes out the corner of your mouth…"

"A common gesture signifying deep thought or concentration can hardly be considered a 'face' Asha…"

"If it's frustrating you, you scrunch up the small ridge of your nose like it stinks…" she said mimicking his look.

"I'm hardly ever frustrated by the research itself. Now maybe when the results weren't as previously calculated…" he reasoned with her although it was quite funny now that he thought about it.

"And if it's working out, your eyes go all huge behind the glasses and you lick your lips in anticipation of the outcome. It's positively orgasmic Donnie, the look you have when your projects go as planned." Asha was laughing loudly at Donnie's shocked expression.

"I do NOT have an, 'orgasm' when my projects work out. That's gross Asha," Donnie said laughing fully now, complete with snorts which he tried to muffle. Her laughter dying but still with a smile on her face, she grabbed his hand and pulled it down from his mouth.

"Stop doing that Donatello." At first he didn't know what she was talking about, but then he realized what she meant. He sheepishly looked away, his laughter now also dying down.

"You have a very cute and infectious laugh, and I wish you wouldn't try to muffle it."

Donnie just adjusted his glasses again and shrugged. Asha looked at him a moment longer as Donnie turned to continue towards the lair. He wasn't wearing his full armor this evening. No shoulder pads and no equipment on his shell, only his lower armor for decency sake, and of course his trusty staff. She had never noticed before that his shell was very beautiful with varying color patterns, and although he was leaner than his brothers he was still very muscular and athletically built.

"You coming or what?" He had turned back around, reaching his hand out for her.

"Yeah here I come." She grabbed his hand in hers and started swinging them. There was a brief silence as Donnie was thinking of how to broach the subject. He was wondering about what was going on between her and Leo. Obviously she was head over heels for Leo, but as for Leo, Donnie wasn't so sure. One moment he seemed to reciprocate her feelings, and another moment he appeared uninterested. Donnie didn't understand that reaction. Here was a nice looking girl that was not only sending the right signals, but being downright subservient to his older brother. Considering Leonardo's penchant for controlling things, Donnie would have thought that would have floated his boat but apparently not.

"So, I haven't seen you and Leo hanging out lately. You guy's okay?" It was clumsy but he asked her anyway.

"Would that there was a 'you guy's'. There's nothing between us really." Asha thought about how to continue. She was actually glad Donnie had brought it up. She had been thinking about it but didn't have an outlet for her feelings.

"Leonardo and I have kissed only once." Asha let out a loud sigh and her shoulders slumped. That kiss was all but forgotten like a lost dream that she couldn't recapture. Donnie's eyes widened.

"You guys kissed? When? How? Well not how, but you know what I mean."

"It was the day we first had a sparring match, then I had like the dumbest breakdown ever." He nodded as she continued.

"He caught up with me in the tunnels and we kissed. I think I officially wanted to fall for him then."

"Wanted to?" Donnie was curious about that. Was she in love with his brother? Now that the question had been raised, he felt some type of way about it and he didn't know why. Asha was just his friend, nothing more. So why did the thought of her being in love with Leo make a small knot form in his stomach? Donnie quickly dismissed the thought.

"Yeah well it was the first and I suppose the last. He's sending mixed signals and to tell you the truth I'm not feeling it. It's starting to feel like I'm begging him to be with me, and Asha does not beg for male attention no matter if he's a hot mutant turtle or not."

They were quiet for the rest of the short way to the lair entrance, still holding hands when they entered. Leonardo greeted them both looking at the entwined hands and then back into Asha's face. She smiled sheepishly and slowly took back possession of her hand from Donnie's grip. Donnie allowed it, but unlike Asha he did not shy from his brother's gaze. In truth this was a passive aggressive move on Leo's part. Donnie didn't think Leo cared one way or another, but knew that Asha would capitulate to the unspoken command.

Asha meanwhile walked over to the couch where Raph was watching television and got her purse.

"Hey Raph," she said nodding towards him. Raph shook his head in response. Asha shrugged it off and got going. It was nightfall already and if she didn't hurry she'd be late.

"Lemme come with," Raphael offered to the surprise of everyone in the room.

"Nah I'm good Raph. I can take care of..." she started but saw he was getting up anyway.

"She's a big girl Raph, she can take care of herself. Sit down and let her leave." Leo said dismissively. Raph turned towards his brother with an irritated look on his face, and glared at him for a moment.

"Make me sit down."

"Raph..."

"Leo, fuck off will ya? You may not give a damn about your so called girlfriend, but it's not cool to let her just roam the streets at night without even watchin' her back."

Pointing his finger at Leo he continued.

"You used ta know somethin' about that kinda shit, but I guess Asha ain't worth your precious time." Raphael had no more to say, but waited for his brother to respond.

Leonardo closed his eyes and took a deep breath and opened them again. He glared at both his brother and Asha, then silently turned on his heels and headed towards his room. Asha just looked on. One thing she hated was being fussed over, and more than that she felt she might be the cause of some type of tension between the brothers.

Raphael scoffed and caught up with Asha at the entrance. Mikey had been texting April when Asha and Donnie walked in. He still sat quietly and looked over at Donnie with his brow ridges raised, nodding slightly in Leo's direction. _'Wassup with him?_' Donnie beckoned Mikey to follow him to his lab. He valued Mikey's insight and wanted his opinion on Leo's behavior towards Asha of late. Mikey was more than happy to follow, being the gossip hound he was.

* * *

He was his usual quiet brooding self. For one so large Raphael was exceptionally silent, his footfalls barely registering at all. He picked his way through the sewers effortlessly, ducking through restricted spaces almost before he came upon them. He was leading her through the sewer route after making her tell him the exact address to her job. He would have let her go on her own, but he had some things to get off his chest first. She thought he wouldn't speak to her the whole way there until he did.

"I never pegged you for bein' pathetic Thundacat." He said abruptly.

"Come again?" She asked taken aback.

"You know what I'm talking about. Why're you throwin' yourself at Fearless? Half the time he ignores you, it's gettin' hard ta watch." He was talking to her without even looking her way. His tone was aggressive as always, but underneath it was the actual interest in the answer. He really wanted to know why she was doing what she was doing.

"Why is he ignoring me?" She returned, dodging a question with a question.

"Nah, you don't get ta do that. Why can't you take a hint? You ain't a bad lookin' chick, so you don't gotta put up with that from a guy. Especially from mutants like us. You can get a guy, so why're you chasing Leo so hard?" They were still walking at a good clip with Raph leading the way. Asha looked at the back of his head, wanting to hit him for his forwardness, but knowing he had a good point. It wasn't the first time she had been asked that question, just that she'd been the one asking it to herself. She rolled his inquiry around before finally digesting it and answering.

"The lion is who I really am Raph. The skin suit is the camouflage. Only another shifter, or in you guys' case another mutant in general would understand what it feels like to not be completely human. To have this other side to you. No human can truly understand even if they accept," she said. Raphael nodded his understanding. He knew exactly what she meant. Ever the direct one, Raph ventured to ask the obvious thing, although he realized a few months ago this was a touchy subject.

"So why don't you get a lion dude? Get a shifter guy so he can understand you?" He wondered if she would be vague about it. Asha sighed heavily before answering.

"I've long been exiled from the shifter community. Not only when I was a child, but my little history followed me, as bad news and gossip always does. Only my uncle and his wife treated me like I wasn't a plague." She fought to keep the emotion out of her voice.

"He was the only shield between me and a group of people who would have outcast me at best, or killed me at worst. They respected my uncle, and would not dare raise a hand or word against his blood while he lived. Now that he's gone, there is no veil between me and them. The only two shifters who never left my side were my two best friends. I couldn't even go to his funeral Raph." Asha said this stopping Raph in his tracks to look at her. Her eyes were glassy as she thought over the fact that she never had a chance to say goodbye to her uncle properly. The last time she saw him was bloodied on the floor after the blast that killed so many2.

"Imagine your master Splinter dying, and you can't even say goodbye to him. Can't even attend his affairs as you know he would have wished!" At the thought of his father dying Raph had to turn his head from her. His jaw clenched, his eyes blinked rapidly trying not to let the emotion of the thought wash over him. He was annoyed that she would even bring something like that up, but didn't say anything against it. It had to be hard for her. Now he understood that her relationship to her uncle was very much like Splinter to them. Not just a martial arts master, but their father. He turned to her now with what he felt was a deeper understanding of just who she was, but still there was one more thing he wanted to know.

"What was it? The thing that got you kicked out from your home in the first place. What'd you do?"

"Master Splinter never told you guys?" She knew he hadn't.

"You kiddin' me? He would never tell something somebody said to him in private."

"I was nine years old. It was my first time really exploring what I was. I got into a petty fight with a young village boy, a human. I changed, I killed him…..then I ate him. Man eating is punishable by death, but because of my age my uncle pleaded for exile instead." There, it was out then. Raphael was flabbergasted. It was the 'ate him' part that did it. She actually ate people? On one of the few occasions in his life, Raphael was truly unnerved by another individual.

"I don't eat people Raph. It was a onetime thing. Sorry if it put you off your lunch, but you asked."

"Yeah now I wish I didn't ask." He said starting to walk again. A few minutes later they were climbing out of a manhole. He walked her to the very edge of the alleyway. Across the street was the club. They could hear the music pumping, but no one was outside except the bouncers, and a few people who apparently weren't being allowed in.

"Well, here we are. I need to get going, I'm a little late and they're assholes about that kind of stuff." Asha said about to step out onto the sidewalk when she felt Raph's iron grip on her upper arm holding her back. His green eyes were sparkling, and his toothpick rolled slowly in the corner of his mouth. _Uh oh_ Asha thought.

"So you work at a strip joint? Is this the big secret?" He asked looking down at her, a smirk playing at his lips.

"Yeah, old Whiskas is shaking ass for cash Raph. I guess you can run tell Leo now," she said smiling and teasing him about it.

"Pfft, I ain't telling Leo a damn thing…" he looked back over at the club then back down to her, appreciatively this time. "But you owe me for keepin' it hush."

"How much Raph? Or beer, you want some alcohol?" She said, fully prepared to give him her tips for the night if that would keep his mouth shut.

"Nah, you don't get off that easy Thundacat," he said with an evil little grin curling his lips.

"Whatever it is, no."

"Lap dance, me and Donnie, tomorrow," Raph said grin spreading to see the horror cross Asha's face.

"Heeelll no! And don't drag innocent Donnie into this either." Asha had a sinking feeling that even though he was smiling, Raph wasn't playing.

"Donnie been keepin' your little secret longer, and he been nice ta you too. I say you owe him a little sumthin' sumthin'." Raph saw her discomfort and got a little annoyed by it.

"If you can do it in front of these scum bags, you can do it for us," he said satisfied at her mortification.

"I don't give lap dances, Raph," she said. It was sort of true. As the new girl she had to still wait tables and only dance the early dances. She hadn't earned prime stage time.

"Whateva." He said loosening his grip and then retightening it as something else crossed his mind.

"Raph come on I gotta go. I'll give you your stupid lap dance…" she was going to continue complaining until a large green finger shushed her. She looked up at him and saw the gears turning furiously in his mind. Due to his meathead tendencies it was easy for one to be unaware that Raphael was smart as hell. It never took him long to put two and two together and come up with four.

He noted the symbol of the Foot Clan on the armbands worn by the bouncers, and emblazoned on the doors. Anyone not in the know thought it was just a fancy drawing of a flame, but Raph knew better. He tightened his grip a little more on her arm, starting to hurt her. She winced but didn't try to pull away. He looked down at her concern mixed with anger on his face.

"You got a freakin' death wish or somethin'? What the hell do you think you're doin' around this joint?"

"First, let me go because you're hurting me," she said looking at his hand and knowing there would be a bruise there later. He didn't let her go, but did loosen his grip again realizing he was probably hurting her pretty good.

"Second, I know what I'm doing Raph. They don't know who I am. Out here I'm Asha, in there I'm 'Nigeria'. I'm dee Ahfreecan gurl who don't know what dey talkin'." He was still wary but did eventually let her go completely.

"But this is a Foot Clan joint. If you forgot lemme remind you that they're lookin' for the girl who killed Rocksteady and a whole gang of foot soldier sleaze balls." Asha wagged her finger at him.

"Correction, they're looking for the lion mutant who killed Rocksteady and whole gang of foot soldier sleaze balls. Do I look like a mutant or a hot piece of ass?" She smirked at Raph. Sarcastic remark in 3, 2…

"Neither. You ain't neva been a hot piece of ass in ya life Thundacat," Raph said smirking back at her. She walked right into that one.

"Yet you want a lap dance. I wonder why?" Asha was starting to cross the street as Raph was fading back into the shadow of the alley.

"That's just business," he said. She couldn't see his face anymore but heard the smile in his raspy voice. She turned around but his voice grabbed her attention one more time.

"Hey Whiskas, knock some heads and get some info. I wanna know what these douche bags are up to in there." She heard the faint scrape of a moving manhole cover.

"Will do Raph," she said as she gave a salute in his general direction, and ran across the street to work. Knocking some heads sounded good, but only after there was nothing left here to do. Asha went in the back entrance for employees. She was greeted by smoke and the smell of alcohol. It was gonna be a long night.

* * *

In my previous story Predators and Prey, the Foot clan kidnapped five shifter children then murdered them in cold blood after torturing them.

Asha's uncle died in the attack on their dojo. The small children were abducted at that time.


	2. Chapter 2: Leo's Heart

Leonardo sat in his room engaged in one of his favorite pastimes, calligraphy painting. The walls of his room were decorated with it, each work framed and placed with care. His room was beyond clean. His bed was made promptly each morning, swept out, gear neatly folded in its place, and weapons placed reverently on a stand. He was the picture of order and organization, of planning and foresight. So how was it that the king of orderliness could fail to arrange the matters of his heart? Leo leaned back a bit observing his work. Impeccable.

That day in the sewers when he followed her, and then kissed her tears away played over again in his mind. Asha had allowed him to do that, had welcomed it in fact. The way she almost melted in his embrace, the softness of her lips, the fast beating of her heart, the way she wrapped her arms around his neck, he was ready to fall in love with her. Something stopped him. A little voice in his head, which he admitted sounded more like Karai than himself whispered that it was a mistake. That she would hurt him, that she was only pitying a lowly mutant who had no hope of finding love unless he got it from the first girl to offer it.

Leonardo didn't like anyone pitying him. He had resigned himself to a lonely existence without a mate, and he cursed Karai for creating the illusion of being able to have a woman in his life. Dammit. He had gripped the paintbrush handle too tight and made an errant stroke. Sighing loudly he snatched the paper off the makeshift easel and balled it up. Leonardo started again. Calligraphy was straightforward and it was simple once you learned it. He liked that. It comforted him.

Why couldn't Asha leave him alone? She complicated things by being sweet to him and forgiving him for his boorish behavior. She would make his meals for him even offering to feed it to him. Once she offered him a foot massage and to wash his shell after a particularly violent and long patrol. He was struck dumb by the offer. She was always finding the right things to say, the right things to do, and the right times for all of it. He could see the stars in her eyes that he never saw in Karai. Clearly she loved him and he was busy fighting her every step of the way. How long? How long was she going to take rejection before she found some other man, or worse yet one of his brothers? Leonardo made another steady and measured stroke with his brush. He thought of Donnie. Donnie had witnessed all of it. He was seeing Asha for the woman she was, and he was seeing his eldest brother reject her advances. When Leo would ignore her texts to his T-phone, Donnie would answer his. He was spending time with her, sparring with her, even visited her new apartment once or twice. She'd extended Leo the invitation first, and he declined. He didn't even remember the excuse he gave her. He could see the hurt on her face as she quickly masked it with a smile. He was hurting her and for what? Because a ghost of a woman he barely knew, who betrayed him, and whom he had killed, was in his head.

Leonardo carefully set his paint and brush to the side and stood, stretching. He walked over to his desk and got his T-phone. He knew Asha was at work and didn't really want to disturb her, but felt the sudden need to tell her he was sorry. Sorry for acting so rude, for not respecting her, for being…an asshole basically. Sighing he set his phone down again. He didn't even know where she worked. Raphael walked her there for her safety, something Leo knew deep down that he should be doing. He was doing all this under the guise of protecting his heart. He didn't want to feel hurt or betrayal ever again, at least not by a woman he was interested in. He shook his head and sat back down to resume his painting. Fearless, that's what Raph always called him. How far from the truth was that? He was the very antithesis of fearless when it came to Asha. He swallowed a lump in his throat. He hoped she would forgive him one last time.

Leonardo sat in contemplative silence, finishing his painting when he heard a knock on his door.

"Hey Leo, you alright bro?"

Mikey. Leo smiled to hear his youngest brother's voice on the other side.

"Come on in Mike." Mikey poked his head in, then the rest of him came slinking through. He gently closed the door behind him, then taking a seat on an old stool right beside the door, he grinned widely at his brother. Leo gave him a faint smile in return.

"What's up Mikey?" Leo began putting away his materials. For a second Mikey didn't say anything. It was one of those rare times where he had something to say, but was trying to be tactful. Leo allowed him to gather his thoughts without pressing him.

"Your calligraphy is awesome Leo. It's almost pretty much perfect," Mikey said admiring all his brothers' paintings. Leo smiled again.

"Thanks Mikey. Honestly I didn't think anybody cared about it one way or another." Leo finished putting his paint away, and had placed his brushes in a cup of water to soak. He sat back on his bed facing Mikey. The mattress wasn't all that comfortable, but it made it easy for him to wake up every morning. Perhaps though Raph had the right idea for a hammock, this mattress was getting more than a little worn. Mikey was still looking at Leo's artwork.

"You're almost as good as me with the drawing dude….almost. I remember when you sucked though," Mikey was pointing to Leo's first semi-successful attempt sitting on the desk.

Leo looked over at the piece of old canvas. The lines were crooked, the strokes all over the place, and the character itself was drawn so badly that it was meaningless. He was trying to draw his name and had managed to create a symbol that didn't really exist. He smiled at the fact that he was still sort of proud of it.

"Why'd you keep it anyway? It's pretty bad dude," Mikey was chuckling softly. He looked over at his brother to see that Leo had gotten lost in a memory.

"I kept it because it was bad. It made me determined to keep going even though it was difficult. To tell you the truth I was so used to being good at everything I tried, it hurt my pride a little that I couldn't get it right away."

"Heh, I remember when we were kids and you were trying so hard to get it. You messed up one of those times and threw the ink and the brushes. It messed up the whole dojo. It took you a week to get it all up. Master even tried to tell you it was okay not to get it, that you couldn't be good at everything, but you weren't trying to hear that noise at all." Mikey said, still smiling and looking at that old painting on the desk. They were both looking at it.

"No I wasn't trying to hear it. I loved doing it, and I knew that if I could master it I would enjoy it even more. I saw no reason to give up something that gave me peace of mind and that was fun to do…..when I wasn't throwing a tantrum about it that is." Leo sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed, elbows resting on his knees and fingers laced together.

"You didn't come in here to talk about the evolution of my art from suckage to awesomeness. What's going on Mikey?" Michelangelo nodded slightly and brought his eyes to meet Leo's.

"It's always sarcastic when Raph calls you Fearless, but it really does fit you." Mikey began. Leo scoffed at the comment but held his tongue otherwise. He wanted to see where Mikey was going with this.

"No it's true dude, you are fearless. It's not like you never get scared, you just don't let it get the best of you. You don't let it stop you from doing what you gotta do that's all. I remember when I used to be so scared when we first started doing patrols. You remember that?" Leo smirked.

"Yeah how could I forget? You tossed your cookies on my plastron enough for a lifetime I know that."

"Do you remember what you told me to calm me down?"

Leo shook his head.

"You told me that fear was a good thing. Fear kept you alive and safe like just another instinct. Fear let us know that we were in danger. Only thing was, you couldn't let it control you or else you might get hurt, or someone you love could get hurt especially if you were too scared to think. You said 'Mikey, you're a ninja too, and ninjas control their emotions and do not let their emotions control them.'"

Leo smiled, surprised that his little speech so long ago had stuck with his brother.

"We all see it in you. You get scared, but you always overcome it. It's one of the things that makes us accept you as our leader. I know it comes as a shock, but your I-am-the-leader voice doesn't keep us in line, your calm under pressure does."

"You guys are in line? That's news to me," Leo said chuckling at his baby brother.

"True dat, but you know what I mean." Mikey laughed a bit. He was still smiling a little when he spoke again.

"We're not the only ones that see all this stuff in you Leo. Asha sees it too."

_Here we go_.

Leo scoffed again, this time the smile was wiped off his face. He suddenly got up and walked over to his desk again. He went to put on his mask that was slung over the back of his chair. Mikey watched him, waiting on him to say something.

"Why do you hate her so much? You were all head over heels a little while ago, now it's like you can't stand the girl. What the hell Leo?" Mikey was getting frustrated at Leo's lack of response and his general behavior as of late.

"I'm not scared of her!" Leo shot back, raising his voice as he turned to face Mikey. A storm was raging in his eyes.

"So what is it then? What's your problem man?" Mikey had gotten up and approached Leo. He gently placed a hand on Leo's shoulder. They were uncharacteristically slumped. It pained Mikey to see a sort of misery cast a pall over his brother. Something deeper was going on.

"It's just that I'm….well. It's just that…" Leo couldn't even say it.

"…you're scared. Scared of being hurt. I get it dude." Mikey finished for him. Leo looked at him with gratitude that Mike had the courage to say what he could not. Leo looked down, hands on his hips.

"Yeah, I'm scared Mikey," it was almost inaudible. Mikey pulled his brother back to the bed and they sat on the edge together. He was still patting Leo's shoulder, consoling him.

"It was scary for me too with April. It's like when they come at you with all that….love. You don't know how to take it. It's just like dude, there are sooo many other dudes you could totally be with why me ya know? Why would you pick a mutated turtle that lives in a sewer? What can I give you? What life can I give to you that you deserve?"

Leo looked at his youngest. He was always goofing around and acting stupid, so much that Leo sometimes wondered if Mikey _was_ stupid. Not anymore. Never would he allow the thought to cross his mind again about his little brother. Mikey was wise in a way that Leo had never noticed, but instantly respected. Mikey had summed up all his feelings in a few short sentences.

"What changed? How did you…stop being so scared?"

"I trusted April. I trusted her. She looked past everything. Looked past all this," Mikey said motioning towards himself in general.

"You deserve happiness Leo. You sacrifice so much of yourself for us. Why deny Asha if she's willing to give you all this love that you don't have to beg her for, or chase her around to get? Asha loves the ground you walk on dude. Have you seen the way she looks at you? Even master Splinter knows it. So you gotta get your shell in gear man, before you lose out and then you'd really be hurt."

Leo sat up straight and looked at his brother with newfound respect and determination to take his words to heart.

"I hear you Mike. And thanks man. I needed to hear all that."

Mikey smiled big then. He always wanted to help his brothers any way he could. He was surprised when Leo grabbed him in a bear hug and thanked him again.

"Alright, so now that we're done with all that, it's time to go kick some ass dude. Cause I know you got a lot of ah, sexual tension to get rid of," Mikey said laughing and trying his best to get out the door.

"Don't be an idiot," Leo said laughing and taking a swipe at Mikey and missing. _I could use a little exercise to work off some steam,_ Leo thought. He hoped he would find some action of the violent variety tonight.

* * *

**A/N: I know this is a short chapter but I wanted to do two things. First I wanted to get another chapter up quickly. Secondly, I needed to clear up Leonardo's position and put him in the right state of mind. I promise the story picks up action-wise in the coming chapters as the true plot unfolds. **


	3. Chapter 3: The Kuro Kabuto

"Hey! Where ya goin' so fast? Hey I'm talkin' to you!" A guy in a black jacket with a purple dragon tattooed on his face and neck called after her. He had emerged from the alleyway she had just passed. The woman said nothing, trying to hurry around the next corner to get to the subway. It was late and there was no one around to help if she needed it. She hoped he would lose interest and leave her alone. She wouldn't be so lucky.

"Hey bitch my boy is fuckin' talkin' to you. Gonna just ignore him? Huh?" Another man with the same kind of tattoo but a little smaller stepped out just in front of her. She stopped and looked around. There were two men. Maybe she could outrun them. She started to cross the street before the man behind her grabbed her arm. She was about to scream when she felt a large rough hand close over her mouth, and foul beer breath on her cheek and neck.

"I said where the hell are you goin'? I wanna talk to you that's all. That's all Jay wants. You gonna talk to me now?" Jay said. His hand was around her mouth, and his other hand had her arm twisted behind her back as he ushered her back into the alley they came from. When they got back to the shadows Jay spoke again.

"I ain't gonna fuckin' ask you again bitch! You gonna talk to me and my friend here or am I gonna hafta hurt you?" She nodded franticly. Maybe she could get out of this alive if she cooperated. He pushed her up against his friend who immediately wrapped her in both arms so she couldn't move. She started struggling as hard as she could. Her mace was in her purse, but that got snatched off her shoulder just as she was thinking about it. The second guy kept her attention on him. She was miserably close to him. Close enough to smell his foul breath, close enough to see his shaving bumps, close enough to see his teeth yellowed by smoking. She heard her purse hit the ground. She felt Jay standing just behind her. Then she felt the cool metal of a knife caress the side of her face.

"It's a shame you didn't have no money for me Blondie. That's okay cause you got somethin else for us though. Don't you?" Blondie said nothing.

"I said don't you have somethin for us?!" Jay yelled and suddenly snatched off her jacket and threw her to the ground. She hurt herself trying to break her fall. The pain shot from her wrist to her elbow. She tried to get to her feet, desperate now more than ever to get away. A hard black boot crushed her aching hand as Jay knelt down. He grabbed her other hand and held her there as the second man pushed her skirt above her waist. She began to cry. Her cooperation hadn't helped her at all.

"Don't worry blondie you gonna love this. Just don't say a damn word."

The ground was so cold. The hard concrete pressed against her cheek. She saw a rat scurrying underneath the dumpster. She never noticed how filthy this city was, but now that she was seeing it from this angle it was horrific. Pain overwhelmed her as she tried to keep quiet, tried to drown out the noises they were making, tried to ignore the sting of the blade he had in his hand as he would occasionally cut her with it. She clutched the asphalt until her fingertips bled. She closed her eyes and hoped they would simply end her soon. She couldn't live after this even if she were breathing. The world darkened, and she welcomed it.

* * *

Raph saw her first. He quietly descended the side of the building to get a better look, but he thought he knew what he was seeing. It made him instantly angry. His brothers followed him, assessing the scene before them. A blond woman, young, lay face down in the alley. Her clothes were torn, her belongings strewn about the ground. Raphael cautiously approached her. She wasn't moving. He knelt down beside her and to his surprise heard light snoring. So she was alive.

"Leo, she ain't dead. I think she's just out," Raph said as Leo knelt down as well. Mikey and Donnie approached.

Leonardo grabbed her left arm gingerly, noting the swelling and bruising. He felt a pulse, weak but there.

"Whoever is responsible for this hurt her very badly. They may have been trying to kill her," Leo said still looking the young woman over.

"Nah, they ain't try to kill her but they sure as hell didn't care if they did."

"Donnie call an ambulance, she needs help right away. She might have injuries we can't see," Leo said standing and surveying the alley for clues.

"I'm on it," Donnie said dialing 911. Leo motioned to Mikey who went back to the rooftop to see if any suspects were still in the immediate area. Raph started to put her things back in her purse. He didn't even know why, it just seemed a good place to start for cleaning this mess. He found a can of mace that was unfortunately full. She obviously hadn't gotten a chance to use it. When he was done gathering all the things he could find, he carefully set her purse near her so that the ambulance wouldn't forget it. He stood and looked at Leo who was looking around still for any clues. From the frown on his face he wasn't finding anything. Raph strode over to his brother just as Donnie was hanging up his T-phone.

"Okay, they're on their way Leo. We only have approximately 4.5 minutes before they actually get here." Donnie walked over to the young lady, squatted down next to her and took a quick look at her. Her breathing was shallow, her arm was broken, her face was swollen, and he could see dark circles spreading on her sides and back. Those were wounds of some kind although Donnie didn't know if they were knife or bullet wounds. They also still seemed wet as if they were still bleeding rather than dried blood. Donnie stood and went to where his brothers were crowded around Leo, waiting on what he would say next. Leo's brow was deeply furrowed one hand on his hip, one hand stroking his chin. Splinter Jr if ever there was one. He suddenly looked at the genius.

"Donnie what do you think? Has it been a long time since she was attacked you think?" Leo said glancing towards the young woman more to make sure she hadn't woken up and seen them than anything else.

"Her wounds look very fresh. Whoever did this might still be within a few blocks radius. If we look there's probably a very good chance we could find them," Donnie said. He looked back over at her a few times, but then refused to do so anymore. She was in bad shape and he was sure she had been sexually assaulted, and that made him sick to his stomach. They all snapped their heads up as they heard sirens in the distance.

"Mikey you didn't see anything up there?" Leo asked. Mikey shook his head.

"Nah bro, I didn't see anything. I looked a few rooftops over too. Nothing."

"I got a gut feeling these scumbags aren't far off. Raph, you and Donnie head north. Mikey and I will go the other way. You spot something you know what to do." Leo instructed. They all agreed silently and took to the rooftops. Leo watched for a little while to make sure the young woman got treated. Once he was satisfied that she was safely with the ambulance, he went searching.

It didn't take too long before Raph heard drunken laughter. He peered over the edge of the low roof down to the street. Standing in the front of a liquor store were two drunk men. They were laughing, smoking, and seemed to be congratulating each other on something. Raph and Donnie listened in.

"…yeah that bitch was easy as hell…."

Raph's jaw clenched. They better not be talking about what he thinks they're talking about. From the way Donnie reached back and gripped his staff, he was thinking the same thing. They listened a little more to make sure these were the ones they were looking for.

"…your fuckin' mouth shut!" The blaring music of a passing car drowned out the rest.

"…find another….she wasn't enough….still freakin' horny man…"

That was it. Raph had heard enough. In the blink of an eye both he and Donnie were on them. Donnie knocking the beer out of the hand of one of them, simultaneously tripping him then dragging him to the alley. Raph was a little more hands on, marching right up to the other guy just out of the glare of a streetlight, punching him and dragging him to the alley as well. Donnie's guy was groggy, and Raph's guy was unconscious. Donnie pressed his guy against the wall with one hand on his chest. He had put away his staff for the moment. Raph tossed his guy down right next to them like a sack of garbage. He'd get to him later.

"The fuck are you man?" Donnie's guy asked, speech slurred and breath stinking of alcohol and who knew what else.

_Smack!_

Donnie gave a quick hard open palm smack to his guy. Raph stepped up inches from the guy's face.

"We askin' the questions around here you piece of shit." Raph growled.

"W-what?"

_Smack!_

"So you like rapin' and beatin' innocent girls huh?"

The guy started laughing weakly. He nodded and spit out some blood. He smiled revealing a bloodied mouth.

"Yeah, what the fuck're you gonna do about…"

_Smack! Smack!_

"I don't think my friend here liked ya answer." A car passed, headlights briefly illuminating the occupants of the alley. Raph noticed the tattoo on the guys face and thought it vaguely familiar. He roughly turned the guy's head, motioning towards the tattoo.

"What dumb ass gang are you in? What the hell is this?"

"Fuck you…" then immediately after, "oof…"

Donnie had delivered two body shots, fracturing a rib on the first punch, breaking two on the second.

"Okay, okay. The Purple Dragons. That's who were are man okay? Just please stop hittin' me man."

_Smack_

"Who you workin' for? Who's ya piece a shit leada?!" Raph demanded barely containing his building rage. His Brooklyn accent getting thicker the angrier he got. He punched the brick wall right next to the guy's head. He bloodied his knuckles but crunched the brick and that got the guys attention faster than his broken ribs. If his head had been in that spot instead….

"Alright, alright. Hun is the leader okay. He answers to some guy he calls Shredder, but we don't know who that is I swear it man, I swear it!" He was bawling now. Donnie and Raph traded glances. Shredder? Why would he be mixed up with a street gang?

"Where's ya headquarters? Where's Hun?! Talk!" Raph hit the wall again. The guy broke down into snot and tears. The acrid smell of urine invaded the alley.

"Hun is always in Chinatown. That Shredder guy sends his goons to give us orders through Hun. We don't know about nothin' they talk about, just what we're told ta do! We just do whatever most times, but Hun's been talkin' about a big drug deal that's gonna make us all rich and he says this Shredder guy's gonna make it happen. I don't know shit else, I swear it, I sweeeaaar! Please don't kill me Pleeeeaase!"

Raph punched the guy more to shut him up from all his pathetic crying. Leo and Mikey had been perched on the roof above just watching. Leo didn't stop what was going on because those guys deserved it, he wanted to hear what he had to say which was disturbing to say the least, and he never got tired of the bad ninja, worse ninja routine.

When Donnie and Raph got up to the roof Mikey raced over to his brothers.

"That was freakin' awesome Donnie. You did me proud out there. Didn't peg you to be the worse ninja though, that's usually Raph's job," Mikey said smiling and patting Donnie on the shell.

"Yeah you can let Raph be worse ninja if you want the person you're questioning dead before he can talk. That's why you two never get pertinent information, think about it," Donnie told his brother. He'd fished out a rag from the ether and threw it to Raph for his knuckles. Mikey just stood there mouth gaping at the revelation he'd just received.

"Dude," was all he could muster. Raph shook his head at those two and went over to Leo.

"So, you heard everything that guy said?" Leo nodded solemnly.

"We need to find this Hun character and make him talk. Maybe he knows where Shredder is and we can end this once and for all. We also need to tell Splinter about this right away. He may have a little insight on what old shred-head is thinking about now." Leo sighed and looked out over the city.

"Not to mention, he might be wanting a tad bit of revenge because we stopped that little stunt he pulled in Times Square." Raph thought about that, decided that all the things they went through that day couldn't have been wrapped up in a neat little package and done away with. Nope, that would have been too simple. Turtle luck is what it came down to.

"Yeah, and killing his lieutenant wouldn't have went over too good either." Leo winced at the memory. Couldn't forget that little detail, no sir.

"Let's get out of here. The sooner we can discuss this, the sooner we can plan how to move forward. Whatever his end game is, I don't think he's gonna wait too long to put it in motion. My gut's telling me time is not on our side."

* * *

Across town four Harley's roared through the streets headed towards Chinatown. The banner bearing the symbol of the ancient Foot Clan flapped furiously in the wake of their coming. Shredder was going to pay Hun a visit personally tonight simply to ensure that his plans would not be foiled like last time. The pain of that loss still stung in his heart, and if he had been cold and heartless before that, it paled in comparison to the man it made him today. No, the Foot Clan would not be reduced to fairy tales but this also wasn't feudal Japan anymore. He had to adjust, to adapt, that was the way of the ninja. Brute force alone would not give him the power he craved, the power he so richly deserved. All who opposed him would die, especially those mutant freaks living underground. He rid his mind of the thought of them. He needed to be clear and concise when he spoke to Hun. He wanted no misunderstandings between them.

His Kuro Kabuto shone brilliantly underneath the dull streetlights. Finally they had arrived at the warehouse that Hun referred to as his headquarters. Pathetic. Shredder along with his newest second in command Tiger Claw cut their bikes and took a look around before getting to their feet. Shredder turned to his two other enforcers, Rahzar and Xever. He instructed them to stay outside and keep watch while he and Tiger Claw went inside. The large warehouse doors glided open and they stepped inside. There were gang members everywhere and in the middle of the floor stood a group of cluttered tables with a very large man seated behind them. It was Hun. He rose to his feet to greet his guests. He tried to keep his composure, but Shredder frightened him badly.

"Hello Hun. Be seated. We have…much to discuss."


	4. Chapter 4: Visiting Hours

"I trust that we have reached an understanding Hun," Shredder said to the Purple Dragon leader. Hun agreed rising to his feet and offering his hand for shaking. It was ignored.

"I will leave Rahzar to oversee our arrangements," he said summoning the mutant werewolf without raising his voice above normal speaking tones. Rahzar entered the warehouse. Hun swallowed a little harder than he wanted to. This was the second mutant he had actually laid eyes on. The tiger was intimidating but the one Shredder called Rahzar was truly the stuff of nightmares. Hun didn't think he would sleep well for a while after tonight.

"He will report to me daily. His reports would do well to be pleasing to me. I will not repeat instructions and I will not tolerate failure or betrayal. If either of those things rear their heads, I will have yours on a platter before me. Now that we have concluded our little meeting…" Shredder turned on his heels without giving the gang leader an opportunity to reply in any way.

Tiger Claw approached Hun, golden eyes gleaming. Before Hun could react the tiger had him collared. He took a long sniff, and then looked Hun in his eyes.

"I have your scent. You will never escape me should I need to find you," Tiger Claw sneered, pushing Hun back until he fell back into his seat. He turned a bright red, Hun was humiliated in front of his so called men. Good. They should know who holds the true power over them. Tiger Claw lingered a moment longer then followed Shredder outside.

Shredder was standing near his bike waiting. Tiger Claw approached his employer. For a moment he didn't think the leader of the Foot Clan would speak at all. He seemed to be staring into the distance. If he didn't know better he would think Shredder was lost in a daydream. Suddenly he opened the seat of his bike and pulled out a thin manila folder and handed it to Tiger Claw. The tiger looked at the contents of the folder. In it were grainy pictures of a young black woman looking to be in her late teens or early twenties. They seemed to be stills of CCTV footage from various parts of the city.

"This young woman has been seen around areas where my soldiers have been harassed. I have reason to believe that it has not been mere coincidence. At the moment she is nothing more than a small nuisance, but I want you to ensure that that is all she remains. I suspect she has had some dealings with this supposed lion mutant and those….turtles as well. She may have information I desire. If you cannot bring her to me alive, then confirm her death to me." Shredder was speaking with his back turned to Tiger Claw, and although he was giving clear instruction he still seemed to be in deep thought.

"I do not have any leads to her whereabouts, and no scent," Tiger Claw began. Shredder held up a hand quieting him.

"I believe I know where she is. However, you won't be able to simply walk in and apprehend her. The people there are not aware of mutants. They are soft, dimwitted, and care too much for trivialities. You will need to be discreet." Shredder finally turned to face the mercenary. Tiger Claw was grinning showing his large impossibly white fangs.

"Ah Shredder, discreet is what I do second best," Tiger said. Shredder raised a brow. "Killing comes first."

With a scoff Shredder mounted his bike again and brought the engine roaring to life. Tiger Claw and Xever followed suit. Shredder headed back to his base. Tomorrow morning Oroku Saki had business to attend to with the police chief. The pieces on the board were almost set, and soon would begin to move. It would be swift and deadly, and when the smoke cleared they would know the power of the Foot Clan.

* * *

Dubstep. Asha was beginning to hate it with a passion. It didn't so much as play in the club as it warbled through the air tainting all who heard it. The place was as fancy as any other high end club, but the same filth occupied the tables. To her chagrin she was quickly becoming popular with some of the regulars. She sauntered between the tables carrying a large platter filled with shots of expensive liquor and cocktails. More times than she could count she felt hands grab her ass as she passed men in various states of inebriation. It made her skin crawl, but she maintained her sexiest smile, flashing it to those men in return for hefty tips placed in her bra and the rim of her skirt that failed to cover her. It only made a bullseye of her ass ripe for grabbing, and thus a vicious cycle ensued. Asha was circling back around to the bar to drop off dishes and pick up new drinks, when she noticed a new group entering. There was no clock to glance at, but knew that there was only a couple of more hours before the club shut down. There was a man flanked by two Japanese women. These women were absolutely gorgeous, and so completely suspicious that they would be with a man Asha recognized as the police chief. He was a short, fat, balding man with too much stress, and a shit job. So now why would two drop dead beauties be on each of his arms?

If she'd had her fur on her hackles would be raised. Something about the women wasn't right. Sure they were smiling and laughing and having a merry old time, but they were also watching. It wasn't the kind of watching you did because you were nervous or even looking for someone. It was the kind of watching trained fighters and killers did. You came into a place and you marked all the entrances and exits, you sized up all potential threats, and you never turned your back to a door or a crowd. Asha had done it as second nature, and so had her turtle friends. So it was clear to her then, these women were Foot Clan. The night just got interesting. Asha kept doing her job, not wanting to give herself away by taking interest in the guests. The club was still full but the crowd had thinned in comparison to earlier in the night. She saw one of the girls just finishing a dance and hurried to get backstage. She had to turn in one more performance before clearing down the tables and going home. She hoped they would stay long enough for her to follow them after closing.

Oddly enough only while she was dancing could she temporarily forget where she was. Her strength and training made pole dancing easier for her than the other girls. Instead of using it as a prop to twerk on, Asha had learned real pole dancing. Long nights spent on YouTube sprees watching every pole dance video she could find, were paying off. She quickly progressed beyond simple fireman spins, onto more complicated inverts, Gemini's, and extended butterflies. She tuned out the lewd cheers of drunk patrons by imagining she was dancing for Leo. Asha could see him in her mind's eye. He'd be sitting up straight as a board, hands planted firmly on muscular thighs, blue eyes more intense than ever, lips parted just a little, and breathing even. It would catch just slightly in his throat whenever she performed a particularly sexy maneuver. She finished her routine and gathered all the tips the men had thrown at her. No use in working for free.

Asha tried to finish the tables and get dressed as quickly as possible, but she was still too late. When she peeked back over at the table the police chief was seated at, he and his two beauties were gone. Oh well. She waved to her boss who was busy giving one of the girl's hell for showing up to work late and visibly intoxicated. Asha stepped outside. She zipped her small jacket which was nothing against the wind, and started off towards her small apartment. The sun was just rising in the east, giving the city a false air of calm and peace. She walked quickly towards the subway hoping for once not to run into anyone needing their asses kicked for breakfast. She never brought her staff with her to work, which made her uneasy but it was necessary. It was too obvious and out of place.

The ride home was uneventful, and so was the two block walk from the subway to her doorstep. It was a neat little apartment building in a very sketchy part of town. Asha didn't care. This was just a place to lay her head. She hadn't even bothered furnishing it beyond the barest essentials. It was easier to pick up and leave quickly if it came to that. The money she made at the club was used to buy food, help the turtles out when they needed it, train fare, and the X-pole she bought that was in the middle of the living room. She bought the cheapest laptop she could find, and had Donnie rig up a Wi-Fi signal she could ride, which he was positively giddy to be able to do. It was sketchy at best but that was fine too. She was barely at home anyway. The rest of her money she saved in stashes all around the apartment. The fact that she was paid only in cash was a big draw to work at the club, as it allowed her to leave as small a paper trail as possible. When she wasn't working, she was with the guys, and when she wasn't doing that she was hunting down Foot Clan hotspots. Somewhere in there she would snatch a few hours of sleep.

Asha was living like a transient. It was a shocking difference from how she was raised. Her uncle gave her the best of everything. He wasn't wealthy but he wasn't poor either. He made sure Asha attended the best schools. They'd lived in a nice neighborhood and he drove a nice car. She never knew financial struggle. He had taught her to be strong both mentally and physically. Her uncle taught her what it meant to be part of the Mfalme tribe and a shifter. Asha tried never to disappoint him. She pushed herself in school graduating valedictorian from 8th grade at twelve years old. High school was no different as she was number one in her class in just three years. She got accepted to numerous universities and colleges around the country, but chose to focus on her martial arts. '_One day_,' her uncle said, _'you will teach here. I will teach you everything I know and I will pass on this dojo to you_.' Asha had felt more honor that day than she ever had in her life. Now he was gone. The Foot were responsible and they would pay with their lives as he had paid with his.

By the time she unlocked her door tears were running down her cheeks. She tried not to cry about him, but when she was alone she was powerless to stop the onslaught of memories. She came in and tossed her jacket over the back of an old recliner she nabbed from a local thrift store. The place was small but the heat pumped hard and she didn't have to pay for it. She peeled out of her jeans and turned the shower on when she felt her T-phone vibrate. It better not be Raph talking about that lap dance this early in the morning.

Ol' Blue Eyez: Hello Asha. Are you awake?

Asha: yep

Ol' Blue Eyez: May I come over?

Asha: idc but it's daylight and u don't know where I am

Ol' Blue Eyez: Donnie told me. It's abandoned there which I dislike. I'm on my way.

Asha: 0.o okaaay

Hurriedly she jumped into the shower. She didn't want him to catch her smelling like smoke, sweat, and Patrone. She got out of the shower and threw on some sweats and a t-shirt. After a quick glance in the mirror she changed her mind. Every time he saw her she was in something unflattering. She decided to wear what she practiced pole dancing in, thigh high striped socks, booty shorts, and a t-shirt that showed off her toned abs. There, that ought to knock his shell off and show him what he's missing out on. Asha was a virgin, but had mastered the art of sex appeal thanks to her best friends whom she missed sorely.

Opening up the fridge she was grateful to find she had some eggs and hash browns. As she was whisking the eggs she heard a tap on her front door. She lived at the end of the hall, and the exit door was always unlocked. So if let's say you were a mutant turtle emerging from the sewers, you could surface in the alley, open the security door in the back that was always ajar, make your way up the rear staircase to the fourth floor, and get right to her door. She ran to the door and looked over her sad little apartment before opening it. She hoped he wouldn't judge it too harshly and think she was some type of drug addict or something. She opened the door and stepped aside. Leonardo eased himself through the narrow doorway and stood waiting to be told where he could sit. He was almost too polite sometimes.

"Hey stranger," Asha said trying to sound relaxed. Her heart was hammering in her chest just being close to him. She was such a lame.

"Hey yourself," Leo said as Asha shut the door behind him. It took him a second to notice that he could see skin, a lot of skin. He knew she worked out and was in shape, but this was unexpected. She was always in some kind of jeans or sweatpants, just very relaxed subdued clothing but this….he kept his expression neutral. He kind of wanted her to put some clothes on. Not that he didn't enjoy the view, quite the opposite. He came to talk seriously to her about his behavior, but found himself completely distracted and unable to pry his eyes away from her body except with a great effort. He had this whole speech laid out that he was gonna say, had even practiced it, but it was gone now. Leo had one impulse and that was to snatch her up and kiss her, hold her close to him like that day in the tunnels. It was only when she started to fidget and wrap her arms around herself that he realized his staring must have made her uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry," they both blurted out. Leo looked confused.

"Why are you apologizing?" He asked.

"For, this," she said motioning towards herself and skimpy clothing.

"Oh," was all he could muster as his attention was drawn to her body once again.

"You must think I'm such a slut standing here basically naked. I feel so stupid. Just….I'll be right back let me just…" she was stammering and blushing from embarrassment. Instead of this apartment, she needed to be renting space under the nearest available rock. This worked on those fools in the club, but Leo was better than them. He was honorable and proud, and he didn't want a whore for a girlfriend. She was completely forgetting Leo was also young, male, and a turtle with spring around the corner. Asha was about to disappear into her room when he called her name stopping her in her tracks.

"Asha," she stopped and turned to him, blushing hard and head dipped not daring to look him in his eyes. She always did that, and he made a mental note to finally ask her about the body language she adopted anytime he had a serious or authoritative note in his voice.

"You're fine the way you are. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable in your own home. Please don't apologize." Leo was walking towards her slowly, as much to take his time staring as it was to show he wasn't upset or put off by what she had on. That seemed to immediately put her at ease as she visibly relaxed, a timid smile spreading across her face. She was pretty when she smiled.

"You…like what I have on?" She asked watching his expression to see if he was just patronizing her or not. He nodded slowly, licking his lips just a little. He wasn't patronizing her at all. She beamed and went back into the kitchen.

"It's not much but you can sit in the recliner or come in the kitchen with me. I got some eggs and hash browns, and a little orange juice if you want," she was calling from the kitchen resuming her cooking.

Leo looked around at the very small apartment. It almost had no furniture except the aforementioned recliner, a small table with a laptop on it, and a tall pole in the middle of the room. He rounded the kitchen to find a table with three chairs. There was a window that opened to a view of the street behind the building. The lair was homier than this. She worked every day so he wondered why she would choose to live in such ascetic conditions.

"Smells good," Leo said as he pulled a chair to sit in.

"Thanks, it's almost done too. Hope you're hungry. I cooked all the hash browns and eggs once you said you were coming over. I figured you might not have eaten yet."

"Somebody's been paying attention," he said teasing her.

"I always pay attention to you," she told him looking over her shoulder. She wasn't teasing at all.

"Nice place you got here," Leo said pouring himself a cup of orange juice. Asha had it cold and ready in a pitcher with mugs on the table. It was from concentrate but it was good.

"No it isn't. It's a slum that people deal drugs out of and whores come to turn their tricks."

"Thought you said you'd found the perfect spot," he said, prying her. He didn't like this crappy crime ridden neighborhood, and he was going to press her as to why she was here. Looking around the place, he had half a mind to drag her back to the lair kicking and screaming. He figured with an authoritative tone he could probably accomplish that with little fight.

"It is perfect. I never said it was beautiful. It's perfect for what I'm doing," she said fixing his plate first. She saw where this was headed. They had to have this conversation at some point she guessed so why not now? It's as good a day as any.

"And what might you be doing here Asha?" He asked her watching her reaction. She wasn't liking this line of questioning. In truth neither was he. After the way he's been acting, he didn't have the right to come in and grill her about her life, but that didn't stop him from being concerned and didn't stop the third degree either.

"I'm doing my job," she said placing his plate in front of him. "I'm doing what's in my nature to do. I'm hunting."

"And you don't think you might end up hurt or worse? You think this is some kind of game where you get to kill all the bad guys and walk out of it unscathed? That's not how it works. You have to be smart about things Asha. Revenge is a dangerous monster consuming all in its path, even the person wielding it."

Asha looked at him for the first time with anger in her eyes.

"Who taught you that little gem, Splinter?" She immediately felt bad as Leo couldn't hide a wounded look. Pushing past that she went on.

"You think I believe this is a game? That I'm being foolish? They took EVERYTHING from me! EVERYTHING! This is my life now Leo. I have nothing to live for aside from avenging him and I won't cry off! If I die then so be it. At least I will have died with honor. Besides no one will miss me, no one will care. Leonardo I am going to kill every single Foot soldier I can find, from the smallest to the tallest, and when I get to that bastard Shredder he will wish he had never been born. He will suffer and he will die, or I will die trying." Asha was shaking with pain, and rage, and grief. It broke Leonardo's heart to see a young woman bearing such a burden. She should be somewhere having fun, yet she was here in a New York slum trying to take out an ancient clan on her own with no regard for her life. He spoke softly trying to reach her.

"And what would your uncle say about this new life of yours?" That was it. He had thrown the pebble that broke the dam. With a sorrowful wail Asha crumbled to the floor next to him, her sobs wracking her body. Leo sat for a moment, then slowly rose to his feet and picked her up. Her face was buried in her hands as she continued to cry. Grabbing her gently by her shoulders he pulled her in and held her tightly, rubbing her shoulders.

"He's gone, Leo, he's gone…" she spoke between gasps for air. The despair in her voice was heart rending.

After a little while her crying subsided. She pushed away weakly so she could get herself together. He waited for her outside the bathroom door. When she came out he was standing there patiently.

"Are you better?" He asked drawing her in for a hug. She nodded and cuddled up with both her arms folded between herself and his plastron. She laid her head on his chest.

"I'm lost," she said softly.

"You were,"

"I'm lost Leo,"

"I found you," he said lifting her chin and looking into her eyes. "You're not lost anymore. You would be missed Asha, don't ever say that again. I would miss you." He saw tears threaten to well up in her eyes.

"C'mon don't cry anymore. I hate to see you cry," he wiped them before they could fall. She gathered herself, willing herself not to cry again.

"My family is all gone," she said weakly.

"No it isn't. We're your family….I'm your family." She turned her head.

"Asha look at me. I came here to say I was sorry. Sorry for the way I've been acting. I was scared I guess, and I pushed you away. Well I tried to anyway, you're stubborn you know that?" He said trying to lighten her mood.

"I get that a lot," she offered a small smile. He was trying to lighten things up and she was determined to let it work. She leaned back against the wall breaking the hug but not wanting him to take his hands off her. Almost on instinct he placed a large green hand on the wall next to her, and leaned in a bit. Such a high school cliché if ever there was one.

Without a warning she swatted his plastron two or three times.

"Hey, what is that for?" he asked smiling at her.

"For being a complete and total asshole to me. It really hurt my feelings Leo, for real," she said looking at him and putting on her best pout.

"I'm sorry. It was wrong and selfish of me. I will never intentionally hurt you again. I promise that on my honor Asha," he said taking her hand and kissing it.

"You better not, if you know what's good," she said silkily as she placed her hands behind his head drawing him closer. Their lips touched and it was like a bolt of lightning hit her. She kissed him feverishly, covering his face with a series of soft pecks before returning to his lips with passion. He responded in kind, kissing her deeply and running his hands slowly up her midriff. His hands paused as he reached the bottom of her very short shirt. Her breasts were only inches away, but he didn't want to be too presumptuous. Instead he slid his hands back down feeling the firmness of her body. She was moaning and he was offering up soft churrs. Feeling the call of spring, Leo broke the kiss and crouched down before her, his face level with her stomach and begin planting soft kisses all over it. She grabbed the back of his head, twining her fingers in the ties of his mask. The kisses turned into licks which went rapidly from timid to confident. He was inhaling deeply, taking in the scent of her heat. He was usually the one who fought against these urges with the most success of his brothers, but today was an exception and the seasons hadn't even officially changed. He missed her presence coupled with the fact that this was the first real opportunity he had ever had to touch a female and he was getting lost in the sensation. The firmness of her muscles contrasted by the softness of her skin and the swell of her hips was driving him mad. It took Asha to regain some control. She gently pulled his head back and looked down into those blue oceans of his. She was sort of breathless but smiling.

"Not yet Leo….I'm…not ready," she managed to say. He rose to his feet and planted another more chaste kiss on her lips.

"Agreed. Sorry if-"he was about to say before she shushed him, placing a slender finger on his lips.

"No more sorry. Now let's go back in the kitchen and try to salvage this cold breakfast. There's nothing worse than trying to eat cold scrambled eggs," she said scooting by him and marching back to the kitchen, large turtle in tow.

"Got a microwave?"

"Yep."

"Well then I guess we can manage."

They sat down to a breakfast that was good and surprisingly not all that cold. They were holding each other's hands as they talked and shared stories. It was almost noon before Leo reluctantly left. She laid in her bed to get sleep that she hoped wouldn't be fitful. She had pleasant dreams instead.

* * *

Chief Sterns had the best night he'd had since his college days. He got invited to a policeman's get together that was to take place in the new upscale gentleman's club Angel's Nest or as it was more popularly known, club C.L.A.N. For the occasion he decided to splurge on himself and order two beautiful blondes from an escort service. The first sign that something wasn't quite right should have been the fact that two Japanese women showed up instead. They gave him a song and dance about a mix up at the agency concerning booking, and that they would make sure they took care of him. The second sign was that when they got to the place, there weren't any fellow police officers in attendance. He continued on with the night pleased as punch to be with two women, and the promise of getting lucky. Deep down in his considerable gut, his long forgotten detective instincts tried to make an appearance. He promptly drowned it with several shots of expensive liquor which was on the house, red flag number three.

Now as he surfaced into consciousness he found himself in a strange hotel room, tied to the bed with a rag in his mouth. He was naked except for a pair of boxers and his dress socks. He turned his head slightly to his right when he felt a presence on the bed, and was shocked to find the two blonde women he had ordered the night before tied to the bed as well. All three traded frightened questioning glances to each other before becoming aware of the presence of basically a room full of people.

Standing at the foot of the bed was a tall imposing Japanese man with burns or scars on his face. He was wearing an expensive looking black suit, every detail in pristine order, and the style impeccable. This man was flanked by the same two women who accompanied the chief. Instead of short bandage style dresses and platform heels, they were dressed in all black suits that looked suspiciously like how ninja's would dress. They regarded the occupants of the bed with cold calculation. Very different from the smiles and easy conversation of the previous evening.

"Chief Sterns, I am delighted you could join us. Did you enjoy your evening?" Shredder asked sarcastically. He was met with muffled cries, no doubt demands for an explanation.

"Ah, I suppose you are wondering why you are in this predicament and who I might be, yes?" Chief Sterns nodded franticly, the sweat from his forehead and hair flinging and hitting blonde #1, to which she responded by cringing away from him as much as she could.

"To answer your first question, you are here because you are a weak, incompetent, fat fool who is incapable of running his own household let alone a whole force of police officers. You have failed to protect this city much to the dismay of the victims here and conversely to my unbridled joy. However, all is not lost. In fact, if you were not such a complete dotard, this opportunity would not have been presented to you today." Shredder watched as Sterns struggled against his restraints, tiring after a few tugs here and there.

"What opportunity you ask? Ah, I was just coming to that. You have now before you the choice to either live in servitude to your new master, which would be me if you hadn't been able to guess, what with your donut addled mind. Or you may refuse and die here. Your choice Chief Sterns." With his hands clasped behind him Oroku Saki gave one of the kunoich an imperceptible nod. She glided over to the chief and removed his gag temporarily.

"Listen I don't know who the fuck you think you are you motherfuck-"she replaced the gag. Oroku Saki shook his head.

"Now, now Sterns, that wasn't what I wanted to hear. Allow me to make the choice a little more….clear cut."

Within the blink of an eye the two ninja had moved to the bed slitting the throats of the women and returned to their position beside their master. Blood sprayed spectacularly all over the wall, the nightstands, and the chief himself. He was shaking violently with fear and his eyes rolled in their sockets.

"You will no longer answer to your pathetic mayor. You will answer to me and only to me. You will deploy your forces when I say, and pull them back when I say. I am running my affairs and I simultaneously need the cover of police and them to stay out of my way. If you do not, I will do more than kill you. I will kill your wife who is waiting for you at home no doubt worried sick. I will kill your children both the boys who live in upstate New York and your daughter in New Jersey. Then and only then will you die after you have suffered. Do I make myself abundantly clear?" He was pulling out a small digital camera as he spoke. The ninja removed his gag once more.

"Y-yes anything just please don't kill my family," Sterns said. The fear of the threat contorted his face.

"Already singing a happier tune. Now, it is time for a little insurance. You will close your eyes and relax as if you were sleeping and dreaming about flying donuts, or whatever it is blithering idiots like you dream about."

The ninja cut the ties. Chief Sterns obeyed against his better judgment but he had no other choice. He knew what was going to happen next. When he closed his eyes he heard the soft whine of a digital camera mimicking the sound of an old Polaroid as it snapped multiple pictures.

"You will remain in this room for exactly 20 minutes after we leave. You will shower. You will decline room service of course, and you will leave quietly, not even stopping at the desk for check out. That will be taken care of for you. You will go home and greet your wife, and you will wait until I call upon you. Is this clear?"

"Y-yes yes, just let me go please…" he began to blubber. He was making sure not to even look at the two dead women sharing his bed. Oroku Saki was turning to leave when he paused as if he forgot to mention an important detail.

"To answer your second question. I am Oroku Saki. You may call me master Shredder." With that they all left the room and it was as if they had never been there. Sterns followed his instructions to the letter. He went home and hugged his wife, and when he was content she was okay he locked himself in his den and cried into a bottle of Scotch.


	5. Chapter 5: Acid Trips and Drug Heists

_Tonight on Channel 6 nightly news, a string of robberies the fourth in the past two weeks, has been plaguing New York. It has been reported that Glasgow Pharmaceuticals was robbed last night, in what is being called the biggest theft of its kind in the history of this country. Sources who wished to remain anonymous told reporters that large quantities of a drug called Ketamine, Lysergic Acid Diethylamide or LSD, along with an assortment of other substances, were taken in the heist. _

_Glasgow Pharmaceuticals and another drug manufacturer Apex Industries made news earlier in the month, when they collaborated in a move that would buy out Saki Corporation's own pharmaceutical branch. Owners of both big pharma companies Glasgow and Apex are crying foul, as they admit that these thefts have left the companies in a financial quandary. Irene Matsumoto, a spokeswoman for Saki Corp had this to say in response:_

"_We here at Saki Corporation categorically deny any involvement in such heinous criminal activity. We have worked tirelessly to create a company built on honesty and transparency. Saki Corp will assist authorities, Glasgow, and Apex in any way possible during this investigation. Thank You."_

_Chief Sterns addressed concerns in a news conference about the recent string of bizarre thefts:_

"_I simply would like to make it clear that the New York police department are working closely with the federal authorities in our investigation. We are in close contact and communication with both the FDA and the FBI. I would also like to assure the people of New York that they need not fear for another attack on the city. There is no evidence of terroristic activity or threat at this time…."_

_Protestors gathering in front of police headquarters were dispersed early this morning in response to the fear of yet another attack on the city. This coming on the heels of a foiled plot to contaminate the citizens two years ago. Sacks Industries was the target of a class action suit, and its CEO Eric Sacks investigated for his involvement. Also earlier this year the attacks in Times Square that are still shrouded in mystery. It was reported that more 50 people lost their lives and many more injured. Survivors of the attack reported strange animals roaming the streets and attacking any in their path. However, evidence was never presented about the strange sightings…_

Donatello switched off the television. It was worse than he could have imagined. Ketamine and LSD was a horrific combination. He looked over at his brothers each wearing a mixed look of confusion and horror.

"So I wonder if this was the so-called big drug deal that scumbag told us about?" asked Raph to no one in particular. He dipped his chips in the huge bowl of salsa they were all sharing. Nothing like making a plan against the Foot while engorging yourself on pizza and snacks.

"Apparently, although I can't for the life of me understand why anyone would want to combine these two drugs, if in fact that's what they intend to do," said Donatello reaching for his fourth slice of pizza.

"What are those drugs anyway Donnie, do you know?" Leo asked although there was no need. He may not have known the plan, but Donnie knew what the drugs were of course.

"Well ketamine is a drug used primarily for anesthesia. In small medical doses it's usually not harmful, but it is a psychotropic drug in high doses. Basically even though it doesn't have to last long, it can be a powerful hallucinogenic both auditory and visual. LSD is a much more powerful drug in that aspect. I can only assume from this, that whatever is being planned that it may have something to do with mind control, or altering the state of the mind. Both of those drugs cause one to enter into a dissociative state, where they are detached from reality," he paused to see his family staring at him with glazed over eyes, and slack-jawed expressions. Donnie sighed and rolled his eyes long-sufferingly.

"It means these two drugs make you trip out," he said as he watched everyone nod in complete understanding.

"That's all ya had ta say then brain-boy," Raph said popping Donnie in the back of the head. Donnie scowled in his direction for a little, then went back to the slice of pizza he was nursing.

"My sons," Splinter began as he sat down slowly with a cup of hot tea in his hand. "It seems that our enemy is making his final moves to take the city. The news of these thefts worry me greatly I must admit. We know that Eric Sacks is a capable scientist, but he can't be the only one working for Shredder."

"Sensei is right guys. When we were captured in that facility, I recognized the scientist in charge of separating the mutagen from our blood. His name was Dr. Baxter Stockman a leading mind in the matter of genetics and specifically genetic mutation. I used to read articles based on his research. Imagine my surprise to see him there of all places."

"Do you believe that Shredder will try once again to mutate the population, my son?" Splinter asked. Donnie thought for a moment before answering. He then shook his head.

"No, I don't think he will do that again. It's too risky with too many variables you can't control. No, he will look to have control over every detail. I don't know what he intends, but I really don't believe he will try the same thing twice." Donnie said sitting back with a handful of tortillas and an orange crush can.

"Donnie's right guys, he won't try that same thing again. Not to mention people are still reeling from that Times Square fiasco. They'll be looking for another chemical attack. I think he means to distribute it like a street drug," Leo said, finally done after four slices of pizza.

"So what he's just a common drug lord now or what?" Raph asked.

"Yes and no, but I think it's bigger than that," Asha said finally piping up. She had just been listening for past hour. They enlightened her with the information gleaned from a certain busted up purple dragon gang member. She was thinking about warehouses in Chinatown. If the purple dragons were in bed with the Foot Clan, that meant they would most likely be hanging around the same stomping grounds. This made finding them much easier.

"How so?" Leo asked wondering what she knew that she hadn't said yet.

"Couple of nights ago I saw the Chief of police waltz in with two women on his arm," she was saying before being interrupted.

"Where did you see this, and what would that have to do with anything?" Leo asked suddenly intrigued. Asha had been purposely vague about her job. He thought maybe perhaps the cat would finally have to crawl out of the bag. With a slightly shameful look Asha sighed loudly.

"I saw it at work if you must know. I work at club C.L.A.N okay? I saw him come in there with two women on his arm, Japanese women. They were foot. I could tell by the way they carried themselves and cased the room. I wanted to follow…" Asha was saying before again being interrupted by Leo.

"Wait, you work at a gentleman's club? A club Asha? For real? Why in the world would you…" he was so surprised by the news. Surprised, turned on, and a little angry. Not so much about where she worked but what he imagined she did at a place like that. Was she flaunting her naked body all around, letting men touch her, having sex? He shuddered at the thought. She belonged to him and he wouldn't tolerate other men ogling his woman. Leo was getting more agitated by the minute.

"Let her finish Boy Scout," Raph said, growing irritated himself with the thoughts he saw playing across his brother's expressions. Leonardo looked at Asha and motioned for her to continue. Rolling her eyes at him she went on explaining.

"Anyway, I was hoping he would still be there once I was off the clock, but he was already gone. I couldn't get close enough while he was there to hear anything, and I didn't wanna give myself away either, so I guess it was opportunity lost. I think it was significant he was there. When he walked in he seemed to be a little confused, like he expected another setting or expecting someone to be there that wasn't perhaps. The question is why would the police chief be in a club frequented or owned by the Foot?" Asha had a slice of pizza in her hands that she suddenly became disinterested in. Although he wasn't saying anything more about it, she could feel Leo's eyes on her. It was uncomfortable to say the least. She tossed the slice back onto the paper plate and sat back.

"Hold up, so not only are you…stripping, this place you work at is a Foot Clan hangout spot?! Are you crazy?! I thought we had this conversation, but you neglected this little nugget of information." Leo was upset. She seemed to be determined to die in the most violent way possible and he just didn't understand that kind of thinking. Pointing at Leonardo Asha spoke.

"This, this right here is why I never intended to tell you about this. I knew you were gonna get your shell in a wad and I didn't wanna hear it to be honest." Asha said. She deliberately turned her body away from Leo cutting off whatever he was gonna say next. She spoke to Raph.

"I think we should head to that warehouse and get it crackin'. They'll be caught by surprise, they don't know we have even a slight idea what's happening, and I think we can deal a blow before they get started, and maybe find some more useful information. At the very least we can probably permanently cripple these purple dragon lames." Raphael nodded in agreement.

"I like the way you think Whiskas."

"But dudes, there's one problem. We don't know which warehouse it is." Mikey said. He didn't like the sudden tension in the room between Asha and Leo. It affected all of them. Everyone sat silently thinking.

"I could run back some CCTV footage around Chinatown, see if anything comes up," Donnie offered. It was a longshot but it was better than nothing.

"Yeah, I think that's the best we can do right now," Leo said not liking it but figuring this was the best bet.

"My son, I believe that might take more time than we have to spare. Perhaps we should use Miss Asha's place of employment as the information source it so obviously is. A few well-placed questions should be all that is necessary to gather the information we seek." Splinter took a sip of tea making eye contact with Asha over the rim of the glass. He winked at her conspiratorially. _It's alright, I've got your back_, that wink said. She was grateful for it and smiled appreciatively.

"But dad, you think we can get anything out of those guys? It's not like you can just walk up to the nearest Foot Clan soldier and ask the address of their headquarters," Leo protested. He didn't want to have a single positive spin on his girlfriend in a strip joint.

"You have much to learn Leonardo. You must never underestimate the power of scantily clad females and alcohol to make one very dull in his thinking, and lapsing in his judgment," Splinter said nonchalantly taking another sip of his now lukewarm tea. He was smiling to himself as all four of his sons were gawking at him in disbelief of what they were hearing come out of their old father's mouth.

"Why are you all so surprised? The channel called HBO, I believe…..very entertaining at night." He smiled a little more as he got up slowly, making his way to his room. Everyone was quiet. They all looked around at each other, each with a different look of disgust on their faces, trying not to get a visual on the implications of their old dad and HBO in the wee hours of the morning.

"Uuuggggh!" They all chorused together.

"Having auditory and now visual hallucinations…"

"Dudes what's been heard cannot be unheard! I can never ever watch HBO again dudes!"

"C'mon dad! OMG!"

"I can't eat another bite, I'm gonna freakin' hurl…"

When all the commotion and laughter died down, Asha stood and started gathering her things.

"Alright guys I gotta go. Time is ticking and I always manage to be late when I hang out with you four misfits."

"I'll walk you," Leo said quickly getting his weapons together preparing to follow her to work.

"Oh c'mon bro, this is your dish night! You always stick me with it Leo," Mikey complained to his oldest brother, who turned deaf ears to his pleas.

"I'll clean your room tomorrow okay Mikey, but I gotta go right now," Leo said placating his brother and seeing that easy smile that was so natural brighten Mikey's features. Mikey just waved him off and started taking dishes into the kitchen.

* * *

In silence that was surprisingly not awkward, Leonardo and Asha walked the sewers to her job. They surfaced and she was about to step into the street when she turned towards Leo. It was bothering her and she just had to know what he was thinking.

"So, you're not mad at me for working here?" She asked looking up at him. He was staring intently at the building across the street. He noted the Foot Clan emblem on the doors and an uneasy feeling crept into this gut.

"I'm only a little upset that you didn't trust me enough to tell me." Leo said looking down at her. His eyes softened when he saw her expression. She wanted his approval and his support. He didn't know about giving either at that moment, but he knew he wasn't angry with her. He just wanted her to be safe and careful.

"It wasn't about trust so much as I just didn't want you to think less of me you know? I didn't want you to think I was…..strippers have a bad rep Leo. I think you know what I'm getting at."

"If you're wondering whether or not I think you're some type of whore then the answer is of course not. I think if you believed you had other options you would take up on them." He pulled her in close to him. He enjoyed being able to touch her when he wanted, and not have her cringing or pulling away from him.

"You're my woman Asha. To tell you the truth I'm a little jealous. I don't want these other guys to see your body, to be able to touch you. I want that privilege to myself exclusively. I just want you to promise me this is temporary. Not only am I jealous I'm scared for you. I know you're not a damsel in distress, but you remind me of Raph and that's not good." Leo said, giving her a peck on the lips and just kind of holding her. Asha pulled back to look into his face.

"I promise this is temporary but I have to warn you. Tonight I can't just go about my normal work. I have to be the one to get info on where this warehouse is. You're gonna see me do some things that you won't like, but I need you to be cool about it. I'm gonna ply them with drinks, I'm gonna sashay around, and I'm gonna play dumb. They'll be talking in no time." She stood on her tip toes to kiss him one more time and turned to go into the club. Leonardo made his way to the roof of the club. He was about to find a way inside where he could look and listen in when he heard an unfamiliar voice behind him.

"So you must be one of those turtles that my employer keeps going on about" Tiger Claw said, stepping out of the shadows, white fangs gleaming in the moonlight.

Leo immediately got into stance. He watched a tiger mutant emerge from the shadows that was almost his same height.

"How many half-baked mutants does Shredder keep in his stable?" Leo gave Tiger Claw a once over. "At least you're not as ugly as the last two he threw at us."

Tiger Claw raised a brow. He hadn't been told about other mutant henchmen, not that it mattered particularly. He just didn't like to be surprised by new information.

"Oh you don't know about them?" Leo asked brandishing his twin katanas. "Well, why don't I send you to them so you can say hi?"

"I could shoot you right here and end this turtle, but I can respect a warriors wish to die by a weapon of his choice," Tiger Claw said drawing his giant machete. Leo scoffed not saying anything more.

"What was it that Shredder said he was hungry for," the tiger said tapping his chin with one claw in mock thought. "Oh that's right, he said he wanted turtle soup for dinner. Perhaps I should be the one to bring it to him this evening."

Leonardo didn't reply but he was thankful Asha had made it inside. He wished he could call his brothers right now, but there was no time. He'd have to take out tiger cub on his own.


	6. Chapter 6: Bushwhacked

Ambushed. Bushwhacked. It didn't matter what word you used, it all meant the same thing. Asha and Leo had walked right into a trap. It was in the way the denizens of the club looked at her from the corners of their eyes, while pretending to be engaged in various activities. Some were drinking, some making it rain on a stripper, others were talking and laughing, but they were all watching. They were all waiting for something. It was like the inhale before diving into a pool, or the way water recedes before returning as a tsunami. Asha's heart sank into her stomach, which then proceeded to twist itself into knots. This was all her fault. Leo had warned her hadn't he? All those nights running around harassing Foot Clan soldiers for information on the whereabouts of their leader, and then killing them whether they talked or not, had finally caught up to her in the worst way possible. Not only had it caught up to her personally which she could handle, it had caught up to Leo and by extension his brothers. Guilt joined her heart and stomach and the pain of it was almost physical. How could she have been so short-sighted? Why did she think the fallout from her little escapades would be restricted to her alone? Asha would have hung her head and cried, but with a room full of enemies, there was no time for self-pity. Ironically, she had walked into the proverbial lion's den, and she wondered-not without a great amount of fear and trepidation-what Leo had walked into. She hoped beyond hope that he had simply turned and gone home, but that didn't ring true for her. He had gotten caught up in her mess, no doubt paying some terrible price for her misguided actions.

Asha turned towards the bar. There she could bottle neck a crowd. She needed to be near the exit that was only accessible from behind the bar itself. She took a seat at the end of the bar, surveying the guy next to her with her peripheral vision. He appeared to be drinking and bobbing his head to the obnoxiously loud beat, but he was watching her as well. Fine then. On the bar between them was an expensive half empty bottle of whiskey. Apparently she was to believe that a man by himself could have drank that much and not be unconscious. She turned and looked around the room. There was no one to her immediate back or right side. Good. Turning towards the man she smiled. He tried to smile back but before he could react further, she had taken the bottle and smashed him across the temple. His eyes rolled to the back of his head as his limp body slid from the bar stool. On the floor he began to convulse, a seizure. Good.

The other people at the bar barely understood what was happening before Asha leaped over it, punching the bartender in the throat breaking his windpipe. As she assumed, the so-called patrons took up a fighting stance and soon all attention was turned to her. Asha looked around a bit concerned now. To say that the whole club was out to get her wasn't an exaggeration. It had to be more than 50 people, maybe even 80 who were ready to kill her. To her horror they were gathering to block her exit. She swallowed hard. She would have to fight through them.

* * *

"You ready to give up now, turtle?" Tiger Claw sneered at Leonardo.

"Never!" Leo yelled as he charged at the tiger, just missing him...again.

They were both bloodied, but Leo was the worse for wear and they both knew it. Despite being the better swordsman, he was still unable to pin the tiger down. Silently he cursed himself for not sparring with Asha more often. She was a cat after all, and he could have learned how to defend against the speed and unorthodox attacks. If only he hadn't have had his head up his shell, he'd be better prepared as a ninja should be. Now here he was fighting an enemy who, knowing he had the upper hand, was waiting him out. It became a test of endurance. How long could Leo hold out before he killed or died?

Speed and agility were doing him in. Every time Leo had Tiger Claw almost dead-to-rights the tiger would counterattack, sometimes in mid-air. Leonardo was agile for what he was, but this was another level. Tiger Claw wasn't clumsy like Bebop and Rocksteady had been. He was cool and calculating and savvy.

Just then the tiger lunged then a feint to the side, managing to cut Leo in the tender space where his bridges would have been. Leonardo went to one knee, gritting his teeth and refusing to give the tiger the satisfaction of hearing him cry out in pain. He didn't have much time to process it, before Tiger Claw was back on him aiming for the same spot. Leo blocked and rolled out of the way to a standing position, once again in a defensive stance.

"I'll cut you out of that shell before the night is over turtle," Tiger Claw spat. He charged again this time diving at Leo's legs. Leo jumped but still got cut on the calf, and he landed hard. He was bleeding all over the place, and fatigue was setting in because of it. He couldn't waste energy trading verbal barbs. He had to conserve it, had to be smart. Then suddenly he heard an uproar coming from inside the club. Tiger Claw showed his teeth again in a satisfied grin.

"Seems someone's little girlfriend is in trouble. You won't live to help her," Tiger Claw gloated as he pulled his revolver. Leo smiled faintly, this was just the break he needed. One shot was fired, then rapidly behind three more. To the tigers great surprise Leo simply turned his shell to him. The turtle was bulletproof. This was the second time tonight he was faced with new information and he didn't like it one bit. Tiger Claw leaped around as he shot round after round, trying to hit the turtle anywhere but that shell. With his last bit of energy Leo began to duck behind any obstacle he could, sparse as they were on the rooftop. He was trying to flank the tiger, get behind him and disarm him somehow. Leo had taken cover behind a large exhaust fan. He rounded the corner believing that he had out-maneuvered his enemy, but Tiger Claw was waiting for him. Two shots rang out, and Leo fell headfirst onto the roof. He'd been shot once in the leg. The other shot was meant for his head, but only grazed his temple.

Pleased with his work, Tiger Claw sauntered over to Leonardo. He was fading into unconsciousness quickly. The last thing he heard was the doorway to the rooftop bursting open and a group of people coming through it. He looked over to the source of the noise and saw two men dragging Asha and throwing her to the ground before Tiger Claw. She didn't move. She was either out cold or…..Leo didn't want to think about it. While the tiger was preoccupied Leo managed to reach for his T-phone. He had to alert his brothers to what happened. He had gotten it in his hands and was about to speak into it when Tiger Claw snatched it.

"Aw, look at this. The two lovebirds have matching phones. I wonder who you were going to call turtle. Maybe I will have a look." Tiger Claw held up both phones. He was about to go through them when Leo spoke up.

"T-phones, self-destruct." Immediately the devices began to heat up and exploded in Tiger Claw's hands. The tiger growled. He kicked Leo in the same side that he had cut him on earlier. This time Leo couldn't hold back a groan as the pain threatened to overwhelm him. He had failed. He failed Asha and he'd failed himself. Now their only hope of being saved was sizzling and smoking on the rooftop at the tiger's feet. Leo slipped into darkness as he felt himself be lifted and carried away. His last thought was of his brothers.

* * *

Donatello was sitting on the couch with a Sudoku puzzle in his hands. This was the fifth booklet this week he had completed. The puzzles claimed to be hard, but he breezed through them, surprised that anyone found them challenging at all. He was only half watching Mikey and Raph lose their minds over an old Mortal Kombat game. He tossed the finished puzzle down next to him and was about to prop his feet up, when he heard a buzzing sound coming from his lab. Donnie hesitated a moment, not wanting to get up from his comfortable spot. It was fun to sit there and instigate. Raph always accused Mikey of cheating whenever he lost. Whether Mikey was cheating or not was always up for debate, but Donnie liked egging Raph on until a tussle broke out between the two. The loud buzzing again. Rolling his eyes and palming his face, Donnie wearily rose to his feet. He knew he'd regret it if he didn't at least just see what was making that noise. It could have been any number of things, all of which would keep him busy whatever it may have been.

Upon entering his room/lab Donnie saw his T-phone lit up and vibrating on his desk. He was about to dismiss a text until he picked it up. The message on the screen made him very concerned.

**Self-Destruct Initiated  
#1 #6**

Donnie's mouth went dry and a pit formed in his gut. T-phones #1, Leo's phone and T-phone #6, Asha's phone had went through their self-destruct sequences. It had been agreed that no one would initiate that sequence except in the direst of circumstances. Snatching up his phone Donnie ran back into the room with his brothers. He found them wrestling one another on the floor.

"Guys, GUYS," Donnie shouted over the din of their fighting. Raph and Mikey looked up at him, limbs tangled together. At any other time this would have Donnie laughing and snorting, but not right now.

"What's up brainiac, what's got your shell in a bunch?" Raph asked joking and flashing a rare grin, but it died on his face at Donnie's worried expression.

"Yeah wassup bruh, you look like you've seen a ghost or something," Mikey chimed in clumsily untangling himself from his brother.

"Leo's phone just went off the grid. Asha's too. They self-destructed." Raph took a few seconds to process what he heard. It couldn't mean what he thought it did.

"Don't that mean that….that he's in some kinda trouble though Donnie?" Raph said instantly getting to his feet and grabbing up his mask that had slipped off a minute ago.

"Yeah Don, you told us not to do that unless something really bad happened," Mikey said worry creeping into his voice. Donnie wasn't one for pranks, but Mikey kept wishing he would say it was a joke anyway.

"Precisely, and Leo would be the last to ignore that rule. Guys I think something very bad has happened to them. I'm gonna triangulate the approximate position of the phones…." Donnie stopped, suddenly realizing he didn't need to do that. He knew where they had been. When he looked up into his brothers faces, he saw they knew where too. Raph was already the first to make his way to the entrance. Master Splinter was standing at the doorway to his room.

"Sensei…" Donnie started but Splinter held up a hand.

"I have heard this distressing news. Go, find your brother Donatello."

They made it to the strip club. Instead of going directly across the street through the front door where they could possibly be ambushed, they made their way to the roof just as their brother had done earlier. It was dark and so they didn't see the blood until Mikey knelt down to retrieve the damaged phones. There was a large puddle of blood next to them. He didn't know who it belonged to, but he hoped that it wasn't Leo's blood.

"Donnie look," Mikey called out. Donatello joined him, then knelt down and ran his fingers through blood. Like Mikey, he hoped it belonged to the other guy, whoever that was. Raph was pacing impatiently and growling his disapproval of their lingering and not following behind Leo.

"What're we waitin' for? Let's go! Leo's out there somewhere and we're sitting around with our thumbs up our asses!" Raph yelled.

"Could you keep it down for a moment while I think please?" Donnie said annoyed, but not being able to blame his brother's impatience. He wanted to get moving as quickly as possible, but it would waste time to run off half-cocked. He scanned the rooftop quickly. He found nothing other than the blood and signs of a fight. Donnie also noticed bullet shells littering the area. Whoever Leo was fighting had tried to shoot him. _Bet he got the surprise of his life when he found out my brother was bulletproof, _Donnie thought to himself.

"Let's go inside, see if we can get some clue as to which way they went. The phones are fried, so I can't get any information from them." Donnie said heading towards the door leading downstairs.

"What?! We already know the warehouse is in Chinatown, so that's where we need ta start Donnie," Raph yelled. He was barely keeping himself from blowing up at his younger brother.

"Yeah bruh, we know where they took Leo and Asha, let's just look for 'em over there Donnie." Mikey pleaded with his brother. Donnie hesitated, but then kept going for the door.

"You might be right, but something's telling me it's not that simple," he called over his shoulder. "If we don't find anything that says otherwise, we'll head to Chinatown post haste okay?"

They both reluctantly agreed as they followed him downstairs. It looked like a bomb had gone off in the club. There were bodies everywhere. They littered the room that gave access to the rooftop stairwell. Bodies were in the backroom behind the bar, and a ton in the main club area. Everyone seemed to be dead, and they were about to turn and leave until they heard moaning by the bar. Raph was the first to rush towards the sound. There was a Foot soldier barely alive. Raph snatched him to his feet, barely registering the man's legs were broken and not caring.

"Where's my brother?! Where'd they take him and the girl?!" Raph screamed in the man's bloody swollen face. He seemed to be trying to say something.

"…lab….brook…Brooklyn…" the man managed to say before expiring on the spot. Raph shook him but quickly realized it was useless, the man was dead.

They searched around for anyone else half-alive and found no one. The brothers made their way back to the roof headed towards Brooklyn.

"You really think that's where they took him Donnie?" Raph asked as they were making their way.

"I don't know Raph. I…I just don't know." Donnie was extremely worried. He knew his brother was more than capable of handling himself. Having sparred with Asha, he knew she was also a good fighter, so whoever overpowered the two of them… Donnie didn't want to think about that right now. All he knew was they had to find them tonight, or they might never see Leo an Asha again.

* * *

In an underground lab in Brooklyn, a one Dr. Baxter Stockman was preparing the first trials of a drug they were already dubbing 'rampage'. So called for its ability to make a person become extremely violent, even homicidal, for a short amount of time. It had gone quickly, the preparations for trial. Shredder had provided him with a precise 'recipe' for the synthetic drug. Where he had gotten such specifications the good doctor did not know, and truthfully didn't want to know.

Filling a hypodermic needle with the substance, Stockman injected one of two lab rats who had been caged together, then watched for the results. He stood by with a small video recorder waiting. Within less than a minute the injected rat attacked the other viciously, biting and clawing. When all was said and done the injected rat had mauled the other to death. Dr. Stockman then turned to his appointed assistant.

"Tell master Shredder that it's ready."


	7. Chapter 7: In Chains

"You think this is the place that guy was talkin' about Donnie?" Raph looked to his younger brother. Donnie stared down at the entrance of the abandoned strip mall.

"Yeah bro, you think they took Leo in there?" Mikey asked. He was trying his best not to be overcome with emotion. He kept trying not to think about the worst case scenarios.

"This has got to be the place guys. I can't think of a single other location that he could have been talking about. I mean, this is the place where the convoy that Karai was leading loaded up. You gotta wonder where they were hauling all those crates from." Donnie said. He was swallowing hard. He didn't want to think about what may be happening to Leo. Donnie set his jaw then. Whatever they were doing to his brother and to Asha they would pay with their lives tonight. All of a sudden Donatello was very tired of Shredder and all this business with the Foot Clan. He made up his mind that one way or another he would end it once and for all if he could.

All three brothers crouched down on a nearby rooftop, watching for any movement in or around the strip mall. When they were satisfied that nothing was happening, they leaped down skirting around the back of the building to find an entrance. There was a line of loading docks, but only one of them stood partially opened. Quickly they filed in one by one, being careful to observe their surroundings. Being ambushed or surprised by anything or anyone simply wasn't an option. With his goggles pulled down, Donatello had taken the lead position, peering around corners and watching for anyone who might be on patrol. They made painstakingly slow progress through the one floor of the mall, but it couldn't be helped. Old security cameras that were active when the mall was open were everywhere. Even though they seemed inoperative, Donnie and his brothers still tossed shuriken at them. Better safe than sorry.

They had searched every corner but no sign of Leo, the Foot, or anyone for that matter. Donatello leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. They were now all standing in a small corridor leading to the restrooms and a storage area.

"I don't understand. This has to be the place. Where else in Brooklyn would the Foot clan be holed up?" Donnie asked himself aloud. Raph stood for a moment looking at the dirty floor between his feet. Or at least there should have been dirt between his feet. His brow furrowed. Even in the creepy darkness of an abandoned strip mall, he could see that the floor where they were standing wasn't as filthy as the rest of the floor had been. There were puddles of what he could only assume were water in places, leaves and dried twigs from who knew where, and just the general dirt and dust from lack of use and population.

"Donnie, you notice anything funny about this floor?" Raph asked still looking at the floor and patting his feet.

"What? You mean other than the layer of dirt on it that's about as tall as we are?" Donnie said, looking at the floor but not seeing where Raph was coming from with his question. Mikey had wandered towards the end of the hall where the door that lead to storage was. He was eyeing something on the floor and wasn't paying too much attention to his brothers.

"Yeah that's just the thing Don, there ain't a whole lot of dirt right here like it is everywhere else in here," Raph said starting to pick up on what Mikey was looking at too. "It ain't like somebody cleaned it, it's more like…"

"Somebody just walks on it more," Donnie finished for him, also seeing what his brothers were seeing. There were what looked like footprints but they were smeared in the dust. What caught their eyes were marks, as if something or someone had been dragged along the floor recently. Even more disturbing was the fact that blood was also smeared along the floor. Whoever had been brought here was hurt or worse. The trail lead straight to the door with the word 'STORAGE' stamped on it. The brothers traded nervous glances, their eyes saying what they refused to speak with their mouths.

* * *

Below them in a sub-basement, security monitors became snowy one by one. A guard who was busy eating sat up quickly, becoming alerted once the third camera went down. Someone was here. The guard pressed a single button setting off a silent alarm. Red lights flashed down all main corridors, as the soldiers took their positions. They knew what was expected of them in the event that this place was discovered. Now they all simply waited for explicit orders from Shredder.

Shredder was in Karai's old quarters. Her personal belongings had been packed away. He was sitting on the edge of the frame of her bed. Next to him on the floor was an open box. His Kuro Kabuto was sitting on the frame next to him. He was holding an old photo of Karai as a little girl in both his hands. It had been so long ago, that he hadn't remembered what it felt like to cry and tonight was no exception. He kept willing himself to do so, but couldn't produce a single tear. All that came in the place of sorrow was anger. He was angry at those damn turtles, Leonardo specifically. Only two soldiers made it back to tell their master what happened the night she was killed on a filthy New York street, like some common thug. He had sent for her body. He had even tried to save her by threatening Dr. Stockman into giving her a refined version of the mutagen but nothing helped. For his failure, Shredder had a collar fitted with small vials of mutagen made for the doctor, and placed it around his neck. Any attempt to remove it or escape would result in the bursting of those vials, and a mutation for the doctor.

Seeing the strobe of a red light in the ceiling, Shredder placed his Kuro Kabuto back upon his head, a wry smile forming on his lips. Turtles. Honor-bound and foolish, they had come for their disgusting mutant brother. Good. He would kill them now once and for all. The only two things missing were the mutant lioness and the rat. They had moved their lair, so finding the rat would prove difficult, but the lioness he thought was not too far behind. They had the girl who had killed singlehandedly so many of his soldiers. Shredder would destroy the turtles and all that they loved utterly, but first he would make them suffer. He would make them watch as the city they so pitifully loved, but could never be part of fell before the might of the Foot Clan. He rose to his feet and entered the hall, closing and locking Karai's old private quarters. Just then three soldiers ran up to him.

"Master Shredder, we've been breached," one of them panted waiting on orders. Shredder stared into each of their eyes making them very uncomfortable. He had become volatile and unpredictable since Karai's death, so he could have ordered them to commit hara-kiri for all they knew. He raised a hand as if to show them the way out.

"Please, by all means welcome our friends. I believe they wish to have a family reunion. Bring them to me alive." Shredder said as the soldiers left immediately to carry out their orders.

He made his way to the room that held Leonardo and his lady friend. As before they were caged in a glass-like cell. Both Leo and Asha were chained to the walls by both arms and legs. There was very little slack in the chains, and the manacles were digging into their wrists and ankles. Leonardo's face was swollen and bruised, one eye bloodshot. The cut on his side would have been healing had it not been for the constant reopening of it from cutting it over and over. Leonardo was beginning to curse his ability to heal quickly. It made for a longer torture session. Asha was in no better shape. Multiple times in the short hours of their capture, she had been taken into a different room. Through the walls Leo could hear her scream. He wondered why she hadn't transformed yet. It wasn't like her to accept defeat without fighting. There had to be a reason she was holding back.

Leo opened the eye that wasn't swollen to watch his enemy approach his cell. He tensed and felt all the pain in all his muscles and joints protest at the involuntary motion. Shredder stood for a moment looking at him. Even though his mouth was covered, Leo saw clearly that Shredder was smiling.

"I have something for you Leonardo. Your family is here," he said. Leo rolled his eyes and turned his head as if he didn't believe him. Shredder grabbed a small remote from a soldier standing nearby and pointed it towards a monitor mounted on the wall. The screen came to life and his brothers appeared before him. Leonardo strained against his chains, growling.

"You had better not hurt them Shredder! You hear me?!" Leo screamed at his captor who only turned to him smiling evilly again.

"You are hardly in a position to offer me threats turtle. They will most certainly be hurt, but not to worry. You will be able to say your goodbyes to them in due time. I'm going to bring them to you, that way you can suffer alongside your pathetic brothers, as you observe your beloved city fall and your family be killed before you." Shredder said, and when he saw the defeat in Leo's eyes he was satisfied. He would break them as they had broken him. He would take from them sevenfold what they had ripped from him. Shredder looked over his shoulder to Asha. The doctor told him that he had found some interesting facts about the young female that he urgently needed to know. He would get to that later, after all she wasn't going anywhere. Shredder left the holding cells and went to the large landing bay to wait. There was a platform there that was getting prepared to be raised. When it came back it would be bearing three turtles. He narrowed his eyes in anticipation.

* * *

Mikey was the closest to the door. He didn't try to open it just yet, afraid of what he might find. Instead, he turned his head and pressed against the door, listening. At first he couldn't hear anything, but then there was a sound. At first very faint but growing louder. It was a whirring sound almost kind of quiet in a sense. Mikey couldn't place the sound right away, but he eventually recognized it as the sound of an approaching elevator. That couldn't be possible though. The door was clearly marked storage and didn't even look like an elevator door at all. He looked to his brothers.

"What is it Mikey, what'd ya hear?" Raph asked anxiously. Mikey shrugged.

"Dude I dunno. Sounds sorta like a, elevator I guess." He stepped aside to let Donnie listen. Donatello placed his ear to the door. His frown deepened as he listened. It did indeed sound like an elevator but that was preposterous. Where was the door to this supposed elevator? Just then they all heard and felt a deep rumble come from overhead. At the place where the ceiling and wall met, dust and paint chips began to fall. They could hear the sounds of gears turning or joints creaking. The ceiling and wall began to separate. The turtles stepped back getting their weapons at the ready. Whatever was happening, it wouldn't be good.

The wall with the storage door on it began to lower into the floor like a reverse garage door. It opened to reveal a very large elevator shaft. They could feel the rush of warm air greet them as the door opened completely. Raph placed himself between his brothers and whatever was going to come from this doorway. Donnie was a little behind him on his right, Mikey on his left.

"Get ready." Raph said simply, twirling his twin sai and spitting the toothpick from his mouth. They were ready for a fight, to the death if need be, but they wouldn't get the chance. As soon as they saw the first man, they launched for an attack but were stopped by something restraining their movements. The Foot soldiers filed in guns pointed, but they were net guns. The turtles struggled but it was useless. The nets were made of a flexible metal and they felt the hot current of electricity pulse through them.

"Not….again…aaahh!" Donnie yelled. The last time they had been tazed, he took the worst of it because of the equipment on his back, and that was the case this time as well. The brothers struggled on the floor before they felt themselves being dragged into the open door onto a large flat platform. Slowly they began to lower as the soldiers stood by, guns still trained on them in case they found a way to break the restraint. Raph couldn't even threaten them verbally. Every time he made any sudden move he felt the currents rip through him anew.

The platform landed with a soft thud. They were then dragged into a room that looked eerily similar to the one they were trapped in for their blood. It was smaller, and they were each loaded into glass-like cells that all faced one another in a circular pattern. Each brother was thrown inside and the cells locked automatically. Donatello was detained a little longer than his brothers as his equipment was stripped from him. Shackles shot out from the walls and floor before the turtles could recuperate, restraining their hands and feet.

Shredder strolled into the room with a smug look touching his eyes. Behind him came Tiger Claw and Xever. Tiger Claw looked at Leonardo and smiled, once again showing his gleaming white teeth. Xever walked over to Asha's cell holding what appeared to be papers of some sort. One by one he showed her the papers. They were x-rays. One showed her mouth. Her normal teeth were there but underneath and buried within the gums were her fangs. Her muscular system was shown to be crowded with dense muscles all over her body, and her skeletal system showed double boning in many places. After the little show, Xever ripped each paper grinning at her with his hideous fish face. Asha vowed to kill him just for trying to taunt her. She was going to kill all of them, and now that she had seen what Shredder looked like he would not escape her unless she died before she could get to him.

"I asked you where the lion freak was and you said nothing. I had to find out through other means," Shredder said as he approached the cell. "It was very unwise of you not to answer my questions when I asked."

He pressed a button that Asha didn't see. Immediately she felt the heat of electric currents running through her body. She gritted her teeth trying not to cry out. The currents eventually stopped and Asha drooled all over herself.

"You are not the same kind of mutant that I am accustomed to seeing. How do you go from a young woman to a monster?" Asha did not even look up. Then came the shock. This time she cried out, and when it was over she went limp against her constraints.

Shredder's eyes narrowed. He strolled over to Leonardo's cell and pressed the same button. Leo cried out for a long time, his body convulsing and his eyes rolling to the back of his head.

"Noooo…" his brothers chorused together angrily. It pained them to no end to see Leo in such poor condition. Asha was looking up with horror in her eyes. She would do whatever she could to stop them from torturing Leo.

"Alright, I will….change," Asha said barely audible.

"What?!" Shredder yelled as he turned up the volume on Leo's voltage. Leo screamed again and then went limp.

"I…will…change! Just stop hurting him, please!" Asha screamed as loud as she could. Shredder turned off the current.

"Whatever you need to do I wish to see every inch of it. Slowly now."

Asha took a deep breath. Slowly she began to change. Every muscle and every bone shifted. It was painful. She had been tortured, beaten, and almost raped by some soldiers before Tiger Claw stopped it because he thought it a senseless and dishonorable act. Shredder stood in what might have been awe had he been a person easily awed. He had never seen a shifter although he had heard about it due to the abduction of the children. It was strange and weird and powerful. Suddenly he understood how such a creature could have killed his longtime associate Ivan Steranko, and was glad that she was weakened and chained. He looked from the corner of his eyes to find Tiger Claw looking like he wanted to be impressed. He didn't think the mutant had met another big cat such as himself. He spotted the nub of the tiger's tail wagging excitedly, although his face tried to remain unaffected.

The room was silent except the buzz of electric current from its unknown source. Suddenly her arms and legs were released, and she instantly became active, beating herself against the unbreakable glass structure. A gas filled her chamber and Asha stopped as suddenly as she began. When the gas cleared, Asha was groggy on the floor of her cell, apparently sedated. Leo's eyes went wide. He wanted to struggle but his injuries and being repeatedly electrocuted had drained him beyond the point of exhaustion. They opened the door and dragged her out of it and took her to another room. Shredder turned to Leonardo before walking out of the room.

"I think you will enjoy the show. I have something I want to test, and she'll be the subject. Let's see how she reacts to a little….stimulation shall we?" With that he marched out of the room. A few moments passed and the monitor overhead came to life. What Leo witnessed there filled him with dread and horror. He didn't want to see what they were doing to her but couldn't look away. He had to see it. He had to internalize the reasons behind his decision to kill the Shredder once and for all.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks so much to the readers who reviewed. I appreciate it so much you have no idea. Also, please forgive me for taking so long with an update. I usually do this a little faster. I had a distraction, but I'm good now and will continue to regularly update this story.**


	8. Chapter 8: In Chains II

Leonardo's eyes never left the screen. There was no sound to accompany the video. Asha was being dragged through the halls by several guards. Every hall looked identical to the next, white walls with no markings, no windows, and not even any signs to say what floor they were on. They headed towards what looked like a stairwell, then the camera caught then exiting from it on what had to be another floor. This one however was not unmarked. It had doors that were very close together almost like…..holding cells! Leo's eye got bigger. He thought they would lock her up but they passed by every door except the last. It opened upon a large room. That room had a closed door on the other side of it. The four men who grabbed her held her down on the floor. She was still groggy but it was wearing off. Stockman came in through the other door with something in his hand. Leo couldn't make out what it was, but Stockman stuck it in her shoulder blade just out of reach. It seemed to be very small with needles protruding from it. Asha's fur was covering it so Leo couldn't see what it was. He dreaded it anyway. It was from Stockman, Sacks, Shredder, this place, it couldn't be good.

Quickly the men exited including Stockman leaving Asha on her own. She didn't move much, just occasionally shaking her head as if to clear it. After a few moments a door Leo hadn't noticed before opened and a mutant stepped through. He appeared to be a bird hybrid and also to be very, very afraid. It saw Asha and immediately began to flutter around the large room. The ceiling was so high that Leo couldn't see the bird as he flew up, but judging from Asha's reaction it was all over the place and she was stalking it. The mutant was more human than bird and flight must have been difficult because it kept falling. True to form Asha waited, tail slashing back and forth, mouth opened slightly with fangs showing, and crouching down on her haunches. One too many times the mutant fell and Asha pounced on it. Leo closed his eye and turned his head, not wanting to see anymore.

"Whoa…." Mikey breathed.

To Leo's surprise all his brothers were watching the monitors. He realized there was more than one in the room. Since they were placed in a circular pattern, the brothers were facing one another and he assumed wrongly that he was the only one to witness the horror play out. On the one hand he felt a sort of shame. That was his woman in there doing unspeakable things to a mutant that couldn't defend itself. On the other hand, he was glad to have his brothers help bear the burden of the image. Little did he realize it was far from over.

Raph looked at Leo and then back at the screen in shock. Asha had told him she didn't eat people anymore. That all got shot to hell when she ripped apart that mutant. He saw them put something on her and hoped that was the reason she was acting like a complete animal. It's not like they've known her so long, but they had been spending a lot of time around her. She had a wild side, in fact she was comfortable killing, but up until now everyone she had attacked had been Foot Clan and recently Purple Dragon members. They had never known her to attack an innocent individual. Raph looked back at Leo and felt sorry for him. He was miserable looking, but had his eyes cast back on the monitors.

Asha seemed to realize what she was doing and backed away quickly from her kill. Something hit her, perhaps tazed because she convulsed. That gave enough time for some people in lab coats and vinyl aprons to remove the dead mutant. A few moments later, the door opened again and another mutant was ushered in. This one was a chimpanzee hybrid. This time it played out a little differently. Asha was refusing to fight or kill, and the chimpanzee was doing the same thing. He also seemed to be talking to Asha as well.

"We don't have to do this at all," the chimp was saying as he was keeping a healthy distance from her. Asha shook her head again. She had a splitting headache. Whatever they were giving her was taking away her ability to reason and think logically. She had just killed an innocent mutant. She felt horrible. She licked her mouth and tasted his blood and immediately threw up.

"What's your name? Where are you from?" He was asking mundane questions to keep her mind occupied. From experience he knew that keeping the mind occupied helped burn through the worst of the effects of the drug he'd heard them call 'rampage'.

"Let me lead the conversation then shall I? My name is Rockwell. Dr. Tyler Rockwell. Now, may I have your good name? I am sure it is quite nice yes?" He was stalling her. He could see the same syringe-like item on her shoulder blade that they had placed on him not a day earlier. He wondered if he could relieve her of it.

"A-a-asha," she growled pausing and shaking her head again. It hurt so badly. She was seeing nothing but a curtain of red. Illogical anger and rage coursed through her mind. She knew that it was whatever drug they had used, but she was powerless to stop her actions. It was like having an out of body experience where you watched what you were doing, but couldn't prevent it. Or it was more like a nightmare that she wasn't allowed to wake up from.

"Asha that is a beautiful name. I am going to need you to help me Asha. I need you to calm down, to think." Rockwell had cautiously inched closer to Asha who sat crouched in the middle of the floor clutching herself, and shaking her head. Every once in a while letting out low growls. She was trying to fight it, and that was good.

They had long since removed his amplifying helmet, but he still had considerable mental abilities. He would try to connect with her mind. He was wary of this half-thought out plan, but felt he had no other choice if he was going to make it out of this room alive. He saw the remains of that other mutant, and was grateful it hadn't been Pigeon Pete. Instead of getting closer to her, Rockwell decided to seat himself in a corner of the room and concentrate. He approached her mind, tried to reach her but was stopped. A red curtain. That's all he saw, and he felt a strong push from her mentally. The connection had been utterly rejected. Frustrated, Rockwell tried again and this time Asha's head snapped up teeth bared and growls ripping through the room. She began to stalk after him.

* * *

Rahzar watched as the loads of crates were being carried in by purple dragons and foot ninjas alike. Hun stood next to him although at what he considered a safe distance. He had yet to realize there was no safe distance. From what Rahzar had heard on a call from old Fishface, those turtles had been captured along with that lion girl. That was good news. It gave them time to get things prepared without being bothered or interrupted by them. Rahzar hadn't had the chance to fight them, but thought it sounded challenging. He shrugged slightly at the thought. Too late. He didn't feel too bad. At the rate things were going, he wouldn't have long to wait to fight all kinds of mutants.

When the last of the crates were inside the warehouse, Rahzar closed the large doors and turned towards Hun.

"We have to get to work immediately. The police won't be an issue tonight. You'll need to send a few men to the docks to get the final piece of the puzzle." Rahzar said to Hun. Hun looked uncomfortable. This didn't sound like the plan he agreed to. This is the first that he had heard of any visit to the docks.

"What is it now? Shredder said nothing about docks. We were to distribute these new drugs and make a fortune. Then Shredder gets his cut and that was it." Hun was getting angry. Mutant watchdog or no, he wasn't gonna be made a fool out of.

"Shredder will get whatever he wants. Right now he wants your men on that dock pronto," Rahzar growled. Despite his fear Hun stood his ground.

"We got all we need right here in this warehouse. The deal was to start selling this stuff…"

"Who said anything about selling it?!" Rahzar growled walking towards Hun. "The Foot Clan runs this operation not the Purple Dragons. You will do exactly what Shredder says…_if_ you want to keep walking these streets safely. You're either all the way in, or all the way the fuck out!" Rahzar roared at Hun. Hun kept a stiff upper lip even though he was frightened. He also vowed some payback. This felt like a double-cross, and Hun wasn't going to take that laying down regardless of who Shredder thought he was. Hun simply stiffly nodded his agreement.

"Anybody special we're s'posed to meet?" He then asked the mutant werewolf.

"You'll know 'em when you see 'em." Came the replay from Rahzar. When the time came he would enjoy ripping Hun and his stupid gang to pieces.

* * *

The turtles had been watching the screens intensely, but that didn't mean they were being left alone. At irregular intervals they were being shocked mercilessly in their cells. Also, they would be beaten at random by groups of Foot ninjas. The turtles didn't realize it, but they had not only been locked up all night, but most of the day as well. Outside it was early evening again. It had been a little less than 24 hours since Leo's brothers had joined him in captivity. None of them knew how much longer they could withstand the torture. For the moment, Asha was alone in that large room. The chimp mutant had been removed and Asha was almost cowering in the corner. Leo had never seen her cower. She seemed to be able to soldier through injuries and the odds, but something had her badly frightened if her body language was any indication. Before he could feel too sorry for her predicament, he noticed that Xever had walked into the room, and Leo could feel his stomach clench. Xever took out his butterfly knife and twirled it slowly, grinning at Leo as he did so. Xever glanced up at the monitor then back down at Leo, his grin stretching his face.

"Aww, you shouldn't be too worried about her turtle. She won't last much longer. Soon it will be over for her, and you will beg to be sent with her by the time we're through with you and your disgusting brothers." Fishface grinned even wider showing off his ridiculous set of teeth. His mechanical legs clanked hard against the tiled floor as he traced the blade of the knife over the front of Leo's cell.

"The nerve of you calling us disgusting," Mikey managed to say. He sagged against his restraints, having just survived another round of electro-shock not more than 15 minutes before. It was taking longer and longer to recover.

Xever slowly turned his attention towards the youngest.

"You've got a big mouth," Xever snarled as he opened Mikey's cell. "How about I fix that, make sure you don't have anything else to say….ever." He stepped inside the cell with Mikey. Mikey leaned his head back as far as he could, but they both knew that was a useless gesture. Grabbing the back of Mikey's head with one arm pushing it forward, and bringing the other hand with the knife in it towards his mouth. Making the knife-wielding hand into a fist he delivered two quick punches to Mikey's now very tightly closed mouth. His brothers stared in horror.

"Leave him alone! You wanna mess wit' somebody you come in here wit' me, you hideous fishfaced mother-"Raph was about to let loose a barrage of insults to get Xever's attention off of Mikey, but it didn't quite go as planned. He was cut off by Xever's silent threat of cutting Mikey's throat, which stopped Raph mid-sentence. Xever glared at him a moment longer before turning his unwanted attention back to Mikey, who still had his mouth shut tight but eyes growing wider with each passing second.

"Open up turtle," Xever sneered but Mikey shook his head vigorously. Xever brought the knife closer to Mikey's face.

"You have one more chance to open your mouth," Fishface said as Mikey shook his head again. Xever brought the knife down in a diagonal slash. Mikey screamed out and Fishface took that opportunity to place a slick finned hand into Mikey's mouth, forcing it open even more. Mikey's lips were bleeding. Xever had cut them deeply with that single stroke.

"If this was all I had to do to shut you up, I would have done this first," Fishface said in his Brazilian accent.

Mikey eyed his brothers one by one, silently pleading for a help he knew they couldn't provide for him. Leo looked even more hurt that he was in no position to simply break himself and his brothers free from this growing nightmare. Against his will he opened his mouth for Xever's slimy hand, and almost gagged at the raw fishy taste in his mouth. Xever smiled as was about to try to grab hold of Mikey's tongue to cut it out, until he felt a pain run from his fingers to what passed for his elbow.

It took him a moment to process the sight of his fingers wedged securely and very painfully in the powerful grip of Mikey's teeth. He tried desperately to pull his hand free, but he felt the webbing between his digits start to tear apart. Anger flashing in his eyes, Xever gave several quick slashes to Mikey's sides with his knife, forcing the turtle to cry out in pain thereby releasing his hand.

"Nooo!" His brothers once again chorused together. They all began to try to bang against the walls of their cells, not having any better luck than they had before.

"I'm gonna fuckin' kill you, you ugly fishfaced motherfucker!" Raph yelled. He meant every word. For hurting Mikey, the fish would have to die. Donnie's eyes went bigger than ever behind his glasses at the sight of blood pouring from Mikey's side.

Mikey once again sagged against his confines. The cell was large enough to hold both mutants, but just barely. Xever had stepped back as much as he could to take a look at his now very damaged hand, and now stepped back in closer to deliver a few more choice cuts to Mikey's face. He also made the mistake of trying to cut out Mikey's tongue again.

"You will pay dearly for that!" Xever was angrier and more determined than ever to cut Mikey every which way but loose. At first he had intended just a little fun, but his eyes were simply sadistic and murderous now. He got a little closer than he intended when he stumbled back, more than a bit stunned. Mikey had managed to deliver a devastating head-butt, almost knocking Xever out cold but not quite. In his daze Fishface got too close again, and this time did get knocked out by yet another head-butt. As he dropped to the cell floor another one of those random shocks coursed throughout the cell. Mikey was joined this time by a convulsing Xever, as his mechanical legs reacted to the overload and started to kick wildly. At first they only cracked the seemingly unbreakable cell wall, then broke it completely.

Finally the current stopped. This time Mikey couldn't help but cry out in pain and anguish. It took him a while to realize that one of the walls had been broken. One of his arm restraints had been loosened because of it, and Mikey started to tug on it to free himself. He tugged quite a few times as it worked its way loose very slowly. His fatigue and blood loss made him weaker than usual, and what would have normally taken him one or two tugs to get loose, was taking him five or six. Underneath him Fishface was starting to stir. Thankfully in all the commotion, Xever had lost his grip on the butterfly knife. It was only a small consolation as the brothers realized that an alarm had been set off. They guessed it had something to do with the now compromised cell.

"Mikey, you gotta try to hurry. I know you're hurt, but you gotta try" Leo said weakly. He watched his brother willing Mikey to hurry. Leo looked back up to the monitor. He saw them walk in at least four small children as they seemed to give Asha another dose of whatever it was they had concocted. Leo's heart shook. Whatever they were giving her made her feral and animalistic. They wanted her to do it. Those sick bastards wanted to see how far they could push her on this drug. They wanted to see if she would kill something so innocent as a group of children. To his horror Asha's head snapped up, her lips turned up revealing bared teeth. He couldn't hear them, but he could see them huddling and screaming, cowering in a corner. One of the children broke free from the group causing Asha to single him out. She began stalking her prey.

Mikey finally managed to free one arm. Now to free his foot. He couldn't see any latches or weak point in the cables that held him, but with a free hand he had more leverage to pull it. He tried to go for a foot, then not being able to quite reach it, went to free his other hand. Xever was coming around more quickly. He was groggy and began searching for his weapon. For once Mikey found himself wishing for a shock to further incapacitate Fishface.

"Mikey hurry! Any minute now we could have some company. They took the weapons to another room. You gotta get us out of here while we have a shot," Donnie shouted to his brother. Silently he was wondering what was taking them so long. The alarms had been going off now for a solid 3-4 minutes, yet no one came. Little did they realize the alarms weren't because of them.

"I'm tryin' bro," Mikey said. His eyes were a little wild as he was fighting through the pain as best he could. He hadn't stopped bleeding yet, which meant that old Fishface must have cut him deeply. Speaking of whom had actually gotten his weapon back in his hand and was now trying to get to his feet. He tried once or twice but each time the legs failed. They had been temporarily short circuited. They were mostly mechanical, but did harbor a small motor that was electronic in nature. It would take a short while for everything to reboot and for his legs to work. Xever knew that, and decided he would delay the turtle as much as he could. He swiped at Mikey's leg cutting it but just barely. Mikey gritted his teeth, but then thought of something.

"You call that cutting? I know dull can openers that cut better than that!" Mikey said goading Fishface. With a growl Xever swiped again, this time Mikey moved his leg in such a way making Xever cut at the cable holding him. Xever however didn't quite notice.

"Oh come on! Really? You're freaking pathetic sushi roll," Mikey provoked Xever again.

"Don't call me that!" Xever tried to yell, taking another swipe. This time cutting through the cable. Promptly Mikey delivered three or four heel kicks to Xever's face before he could register what was happening. It bought enough time for Mikey to finish freeing himself. Staggering out of the busted cell he tried to right himself, still holding his bleeding side. He frantically looked around the room for a way to free his brothers.

"Donnie! Now would be a good time to tell me what button is what! You know I'm bad with figuring out the buttons!" Mikey said staggering over to the control panel and trying to look for any switch or button that would open the cells.

"Look underneath the console. Typically there are switches for the alarms, the electroshock, and the release buttons there." Donnie was hoping against hope that Mikey could find the right one and not accidentally shock them all.

Mikey ducked down to see what he could see. There were several switches but no labels, at least none that he could distinguish. He was getting frustrated until he saw a simple switch with a red and green light above it, at the moment the red light was bright.

"Donnie, I think I found something!" Mikey said. He peeked back over the table to see a glint of hope in all his brother's faces.

"What does it look like?" Donnie asked, fully feeling the pressure of not enough time to walk Mikey through this. He kept watching the door and the monitor. He hated not knowing what was about to happen. In Mikey's now open cell, Xever stirred again now faster than before since there had been no more shocks for the moment.

"Uh, it's a little silver switch thingy with a red and green light. Red light is lit up." Mikey waited on his brothers' verdict.

"Hit it!" Donnie yelled without hesitation. Anytime you had to choose between a red light and a green one in these situations, you always chose green. He'd learned that the hard way many times. Mikey was about to do just that until he felt a debilitating pain hit his already wounded and bleeding side. He fell back and gripped his side as he looked up to see who did what.

"No you don't turtle. You're not going anywhere." Tiger Claw snarled and stalked Mikey. Just at that moment Xever got to his feet and was making his way out of the busted holding chamber.

"I'm going to kill you for that turtle….slowly," Xever said in a low tone as he also closed in around the other side of the console. Mikey started to panic. He had no weapons and had just been reinjured by a throwing knife that was still embedded somewhere in his side. It caused excruciating pain every time he moved even a little. He kept eyeing the release button, wondering if he could move fast enough in his current condition.

"Go ahead. See if you can get there before we do," Tiger Claw growled, once again showing his gleaming teeth.


	9. Chapter 9: Jail Break

There were eighteen skills that a ninja needed to master. The first and most important, was that of Seishinteki kyōyō or spiritual refinement. Leonardo had caught on to it immediately. It had come second easiest for Donnie. Raphael and Mikey struggled with it the most for different reasons. For Mikey, it was because of his short attention span. It wasn't that he didn't want to meditate and gain all these awesome mental skills like sensei has, it's just that for the most part he couldn't. Donnie had called it A.D.A.D, or maybe it was A.I.D.S?! No, no it was H.D.T.V which didn't sound half bad. In any case Mikey had it. However, that shouldn't suggest that he didn't master spiritual refinement to some degree. It was essential to do that before moving on to weapons training and disciplines.

There was so much pain. It made it even more difficult to concentrate than normal. Somehow he had to push past it. He chanced a look at his attackers who had decided that he was as good as dead, and so took their time cornering him. They were reveling in torturing him with the anticipation of his impending death. Mikey got off his side and got to his knees and rested back on his heels. He folded his hands before him and concentrated. Quickly he had to do this. He didn't have time to go through all his various focusing techniques to get him into what he thought of as 'the zone'. He thought of his brothers, his father, April, and now even Asha. He thought of all that he stood to lose if he didn't succeed at this moment to defeat his enemies and free his brothers. That was all he needed to focus his Ki. He concentrated on the kunai in his side and the pain there, isolating it, minimizing it. It was like taking that pain and balling it up into the worlds tightest spit ball, and then placing it neatly to the side. Mikey had never focused as hard as he was doing right now.

"Praying won't help you turtle, you're going to die. Have no doubt about that." Xever said still twirling his knife around. Tiger Claw's eyes narrowed as he gave a disapproving shake of his head in Xever's direction. Although not a ninja himself, he knew focusing of energy when he saw it. The orange turtle was going to make his move, and Tiger Claw wasn't quite so sure now if he could stop him before he did.

It happened all too quickly for the untrained eye to see. In a flash, Mikey went into a handstand, delivering a heel kick with each foot to a stunned Xever. Dropping the butterfly knife, Mikey caught it and in one motion threw it at Tiger Claw hitting him in the chest, but missing his heart. With a growl Tiger Claw fell back clutching at the imbedded knife. It was all the time Mikey needed to dive forward and click what he hoped was the release button for his brothers. With a barely audible click and the subtle hiss of a hydraulic lock somewhere, all the cells opened, and the shackles holding his brothers were released. They all fell to the cell floor, but only Leo didn't get up right away. His injuries were many and were still fresh. The floor of his cell had a very large disconcerting puddle of blood on it. Donnie rushed over to Leo while Raph rushed over to Mikey, simultaneously intending to check up on him and shield him from Fishface and Tiger Claw. Donnie quickly checked over Leo and he wasn't liking what he was seeing. He was hurt badly. The numerous gashes on his side were constantly weeping blood and there was a faint undertone of a sour smell as well. Infection. One of Leo's eyes was swollen shut, his mouth was busted, his wrists and ankles were cut from straining against the cuffs, and new notches were on the upper edges of his carapace.

Donnie wrapped one of Leo's arms around his shoulders and helped his brother to his feet.

"Come on Leo, we gotta go. We're gonna need you to walk on your own. Can you walk or run?" Donnie asked and hating himself for having to. They couldn't get out of there if they had to carry him. It was going to be hard enough with all of them exhausted, and Leo looking as if fighting was out of the question for him.

"I….I can walk. I can fight," then a few seconds later "Mikey…Asha, we have to get them out of here." Leo said fighting to straighten himself. He removed his arm from around Donnie's shoulder as they noticed Tiger Claw and Xever trying to get back on the offensive. Donnie didn't want to let Leo go, but knew better than to argue about it at this time.

Mikey in the meantime had gotten wearily to his feet, trying not to hold his sides. It was a battle keeping that pain at bay. He gave one last feel to his side and gritted his teeth as his fingers brushed past something metallic. Grabbing it he yanked it out, hissing loudly through his teeth, but so glad to have it finally out. The pain lessened substantially but the bleeding that was trying to slow down started anew. Judging Xever to be the more dangerous of the two foes, Raph decided that he and Mikey would take him on. He had glanced over at Leo and although he hadn't seen the extent of his injuries, he knew Leo was in very bad shape. Raph and Donnie exchanged a quick glance, silent understanding between them, and turned to face off against their respective enemies. Mikey and Raph against Xever, and Leo and Donnie against Tiger Claw.

* * *

The child before her had screamed until his throat was raw. He was shaking, tossing his head back and forth but never allowing his eyes to leave the monster in front of him. Asha could smell that acrid smell of urine, the pungent odor of fecal matter, and overwhelmingly the scent of terror. It was coming off him in waves fueling her desire to kill. As if in a waking nightmare she saw her own claw rise with intent to strike. She let out a roar so fierce that the small boy in front of her almost swooned. Ironically he was kept conscious only by the very fear that threatened to consume him even before she did. She hesitated. Drug or no drug she fought the terrible urge to indulge her most primal instinct.

She was never one for meditation and spiritual training through her martial arts studies. She was too eager, too violent, and she only wanted to be a great warrior. Her uncle cautioned her that she needed spiritual training to truly become a master, because first one needed mastery over oneself. The only thing she ever came close to doing as far as meditation went was something called Pride Mind. It was a skill exclusive to her tribe. It was a mental link that once formed, could never be broken. It served as a form of telepathic communication even over great distances. She had only ever created that bond with her uncle. Rarely had she ever made use of it, but the bond allowed her uncle to be privy to her intimate feelings, and deepened their father-daughter like connection. He always knew when she was upset, when she was depressed, when she was insecure, and when she needed her space. It was one of the things she felt the greatest loss over at his death. She would not, could not ever share that bond with anyone else. She was to her knowledge the only member of her tribe in America. She didn't know her tribe members in Africa. Losing that was the last nail in the coffin that sealed her loneliness and made her exiled state even more of a stark reality.

In a release of her aggression, she slammed her claws into the wall right next to the child's head. The boy could take no more. He collapsed to the floor unconscious. Asha's shoulders heaved with the effort of not killing. With every fiber of her, she fought not to turn and stalk another child in the corner, or consume the one laying in front of her. Wrenching her claw out of the wall she was on her hands and knees. Above her watching from behind a Plexiglas window, Stockman waved off another scientist's attempt at tazing her. He wanted to see if she could fight through it. That would be a fascinating failure indeed.

Asha closed her eyes. She tried to take deep breaths. She could feel the red curtain struggling to lift, as the rage continued to course through her mind.

"Mjomba, nisaidie. Nisaidie tafadhali. Nahitaji wewe." She spoke to herself. "Nahitaji nguvu zako, ujasiri wako. Siwezi kuwaua." She was crying now, the tears unstoppable. Suddenly she felt the familiar cupping of her chin in a large palm. She looked up, tears blurring her vision. It started to clear and a lump stuck in Asha's throat. It couldn't be him.

"Mjomba,"she said barely.

"Mimi niko hapa," he said kneeling down and smiling benevolently. His bright amber eyes were tinged with sadness.

"Kwa nini uko hapa?" He asked, his head tilted slightly to the side, a small bemused smile on his face. This was the look he gave her when a valuable lesson was in order. One that she had to learn herself.

"Nilitaka kulipiza kisasi kwa ajili yako," she said, tears flooding her eyes and her heart breaking at the look of disappointment spreading across his face.

"Asha, sina mahitaji. Yeye kaburi kuwa ni adui yake, inaweza pia kuchimba kaburi kwa ajili yake mwenyewe," he said and then he was gone.

When she opened her eyes again, her head was clear and so was her heart. She reached over her shoulder and after fumbling for a second or two, she removed the device on her back. Above her, Stockman's eyes got wide as he motioned desperately for her to be tazed again. She got hit again, but also noticed that the prongs were coming from the wall. It wasn't letting up. She didn't think they intended to stop until she was dead. With every ounce of strength she could muster, Asha reached to remove the prongs from her body. A wave of relief crashed into her once the current stopped, but her euphoria was short lived as several guards stormed the room, removing the children and beating her as well.

She watched long enough to see that the children had been removed from the room. She had burned through the worst of the drug, but it was still in her system and it still needed release. Unlike the unfortunate kill earlier, she would enjoy these now. At least these guys deserved no less. As the last child was ushered from the room, Asha managed to jump up to the surprise of her captors. Without any weapon, and still with a stronger than normal urge to fuck shit up, she lunged at the nearest soldier, much to his sorrow. They had on riot gear, but it made no difference. They needed guns but unfortunately for them did not have any. Asha was a flurry of teeth and claws. Popping up their helmets just enough to get to their carotid arteries, a few quick slashes had them all dead within a few moments. Holding one as a human shield to block the tazers shooting from the walls, she made her way to the door opposite the one she was brought through. She was too out of it when they brought her in to have noted which way was out, but she did know they were underground, so up = out.

Not surprised to find the door locked and a card swipe in place of where the lock would have been, she contemplated briefly using the dead guard as a battering ram. However, she figured to fight smarter not harder. Quickly, she searched the man and then found what she was looking for. She'd found his keycard printed on his inner wrist. Asha used his barcode to get through the door. Once in the hallway she looked down the corridor to discover the halls were long and white. There were doors on either side of the hall. It looked like a hospital, specifically the psych ward. She could hear commotion coming from one of the ends and so made her way towards the sound, but not before taking a claw and smoothly hacking the guards hand off below the wrist. A gruesome trophy.

* * *

Leo instinctively reached for the swords on his back, and when he realized they were not there he let out a groan and struck a defensive stance.

"Normally I would honor hand-to-hand with a worthy foe, but since it's going to be two on one, I think I will hold on to my advantage," Tiger Claw said darting his eyes between Donnie and Leo. If Leo's fighting on the rooftop was any indication he was at a disadvantage either way fighting two of them.

"I don't know what part you play in all this, but whatever it is Shredder is promising you, or whatever you stand to lose you will lose it if you bar my way." Leo snarled. Tiger Claw flicked his eyes, a moment of self-doubt, and it was quickly replaced with steely resolve.

"Enough talk," he growled.

"I concur," Donnie said and lunged forward.

Raph and Mikey stalked in on Xever one going to either side of him and cutting off any escape. It was risky, they were the ones who should have been trying to escape, but there was only one way out of this room, and Raph was ready to execute that way.

"I told you I was gonna fuckin' kill you for laying a hand on Mikey," Raph growled, in a low dangerous tone. Mikey stalked the other side, cuffing the kunai in his hand.

"What is that saying you have here? 'Don't talk about it, be about it'." Xever jumped to deliver a quick succession of kicks to Mikey, nailing him in the face before Mikey rolled with the momentum of it and landed behind Xever. Raph wasted no more words. The space behind the console was tight, and while Fishface was fast Raph was faster. Xever turned towards Mikey to try and finish him off, allowing his anger from earlier distract him.

"Focus on me," Raph growled. Xever turned to see a very large green fist coming his way. He tried to block it with his hands, but that only resulted in more pain. Not only did Raph punch him squarely where his nose should have been, but he also grabbed hold of his injured hand. Holding Xever's hand in his own, Raph began to crush it, hearing the satisfying sound of small bones breaking. With the other hand Raph was tugging at the tubes that allowed Xever to breathe. In a panic, Xever brought up a metallic foot to kick an incoming Mikey with. Mikey turned his shell to take the bulk of the impact, and felt more than heard a sickening crack in it. _Holy guacamole and pineapple pizza those legs are strong_, Mikey thought. Mikey flipped behind Xever again and started helping Raph pull the cables. They were surprisingly tough to break. Xever was still panicking now even more than before. He could feel the cables starting to give regardless of whether or not it seemed to be breaking. In a desperate attempt to get away, he kicked out again landing one square in Raph's plastron. With an 'oomf' Raph fell back holding the spot and hoping his plastron wasn't cracked.

Xever didn't waste time as he lunged towards Raphael, even as Mikey was on his back still tugging at his breathing apparatus. Raph brought up his arms to block whatever strike he was going to receive and cried out when Xever's teeth imbedded themselves in his forearm. Immediately Raph could feel venom coursing through his veins. In his weakened state, he became lightheaded and nauseous. Still, he punched Xever again to get him off and scrambled to his feet.

"Mikey, the tanks!" Without a word Mikey jumped down off of Xever's back and began to help Raph push Xever against the wall. They kept very close to him, not allowing him to use his legs again. Repeatedly, they slammed him against the wall trying to break his tanks. Xever looked towards Tiger Claw hopefully for a little help and saw he had his hands full. He couldn't use his legs because they were too close to him. His hand was broken, his other arm too weak to really do anything, and his butterfly knife was gone.

Suddenly, Mikey remembered the kunai. He brought it up and then struck the tank three times before he heard a crack and hiss of water escaping. With a yell Raph slammed Fishface against the wall once more, destroying at least one of the tanks.

"Agggh!" Fishface screamed as it dissolved into a gurgle for air. He began to flop around. It would have been funny but both turtles were too tired and hurt to find any humor in it. It would be the butt of many jokes later on.

Across the room Tiger Claw was hard pressed. Donnie led the offensive while Leo took the shots with the least amount of risk. Even so, Tiger Claw regarded Leo as the bigger threat figuring if he could take him out, he would be okay. Then he noticed Xever flopping around on the floor, literally like a fish out of water. The other two turtles advanced to help their brothers.

Tiger Claw had managed to cut Donatello numerous times, but couldn't stay out of the range of the tall turtles reach. Like a seasoned boxer, Donnie was keeping Tiger Claw at a distance with well-timed punches and kicks. Every once in a while he would wade in close, taking machete strikes to his carapace, and slamming his shell into the tiger, knocking the wind from him. It was at those times, that Leo would wade in after him, delivering kicks of his own. Suddenly Tiger Claw backed up trying to assess the new situation of potentially fighting four turtles. Injured or not, they were a force to be reckoned with. He needed to be able to live to fight another day. He went ahead and sheathed his machete and held his hands out in front of him.

"I am smart enough to know when I am outnumbered." Tiger Claw eyed his opponents. Whatever was going on with them he could sense honor within them. They were mutants, but not the monsters he had become accustomed to working with. The turtles kept a defensive stance but said nothing until Leo spoke. It was then the tiger realized he must be the leader of the group.

"Are you surrendering Tiger? Or do we need to finish you like we finished your compadre over there?" Leo said. He was hurt but his voice portrayed a strength that belied his looks.

"Not quite turtle."

"Leonardo."

"Leonardo, no I am not surrendering. Simply cutting my loses. If I tell you where you're weapons are, will you let me go?" He was looking at Leo for his verdict. If he refused Tiger Claw would simply be in a fight, but if he agreed…

"Don't do it Leo, we can't trust him!" Raph warned, darting his eyes towards Leo and then back at the tiger.

"Don't worry Raph I don't trust him. What I really wanna know is where Asha is." Leo asked.

"Hmm, the lion girl. She is being held three floors below us. Only the stairwell leads there. You won't make it there and out alive. You will have to choose turtle. Either try to save her and you all die, or leave her and at least you and your…brothers may live." Tiger Claw spoke with a level tone. He was hoping against hope this bargain would work.

"Let me decide what to risk and what not. Weapons, the girl, where tiger or you will not leave here alive."

"Don't do it bro, he's gonna lie," Mikey pleaded. Leo's eyes narrowed.

"Your weapons are on this very floor. So now you have the answer to both questions. I held my part of the bargain." Tiger Claw said, eyeing Leonardo and getting ready to defend himself.

"Fine." That was all Tiger Claw needed. He leaped over the four of them, and then shot at them, forcing them to keep their backs to him in order to cover his escape. He grabbed Xever and made for the door opposite the turtles.

"What the hell Leo!" Raph yelled, but something in Leo's eyes stopped him from protesting further.

Together they made their way out of the room. True to his word after they searched every unlocked room they found their weapons. Arming themselves Leo looked to his brothers.

"Now we have to get Asha. I'm not leaving without her." With that they made their way three levels below them.

* * *

_**Asha's conversation is in Swahili. Translation:**_

"_**Uncle help me. Help me please I need you" (Asha)**_

"_**I need your strength, your courage. I can't kill them" (Asha)**_

"_**Uncle" (Asha)**_

"_**I am here." (uncle)**_

"_**Why are you here?" (uncle)**_

"_**I am here because I wanted revenge for you" (Asha)**_

"_**Asha, I have no needs. He who digs a grave for his enemies, may also dig a grave for himself." (uncle)**_


	10. Chapter 10: A Lonely Mutation

There was a cacophony of sounds, none of them pleasant. It was just screaming, both in triumph and agony. Asha rounded the corner to see a glorious sight. Rockwell the monkey was joined by three other mutants. There was a pigeon, an enormous alligator, and to her great astonishment another turtle. This one larger even than Raphael and his shell seemed to be studded with large spikes. She stared in momentary shock. This group of unlikely mutants was making relatively short work of the massive amount of guards in their path. She smiled briefly when her eyes met Rockwell's. Their little ruse had worked. With his very motivated help, she'd been able to hold back enough to pretend to have killed him. With them believing he was dead, they were unprepared for a mental attack, and Rockwell was able to prevent himself from being locked up, and persuaded the guard to unlock his partners.

"Asha, my good lass, your assistance would be greatly appreciated at this time. The way out is this way through the guards! Just remember to stay out of Leatherhead's path and you'll be fine!" Rockwell yelled to her while still fighting. She hesitated. This may well be the way out, but she wasn't going anywhere without Leo. At the same time, she would never get to him if she didn't help clear what she assumed was the only way out. Discarding her grisly prize, Asha ran headlong into the fight. She did indeed have to watch the gator as he rolled through the crowd of guards, taking out at least five or so at a time.

Two floors above her, the turtles were slightly at a standstill. They had run into a security door with no way to get through it.

"Donnie can't you hack the code or something?" Leo asked. He was more than irritated. His thigh throbbed from the bullet still inside it, his side was in flames, his whole body ached with so many cuts and bruises he couldn't even begin to name them all.

"Usually I could but it seems all my useful gear has been stolen. A lot of my stuff isn't here." Donatello spoke with an unmasked depth of sadness that affected all his brothers. It had taken so long for him to perfect his inventions, to customize his gear and some of it he would never recover. Somehow the fact that he had been the victim of theft along with kidnapping and torture made him even more furious. For him the loss was catastrophic.

"Lemme see," Raph said as he marched up to the locked door. He kicked it several times as hard as he could and then stepped back to see that he hadn't even made a dent in it.

"Dammit! What the hell is this thing made of?!" Raph yelled in frustration.

"We'll just have to find another way. C'mon guys let's try another floor." Leo instructed, turning towards the stairwell again.

"Nah, we're getting' through this door right here. We ain't got time to go through this whole damn place." Raph said retrieving his sai and prodding the scan, breaking it. The door stood ajar. Raph stepped aside with a crooked grin on his face.

"Age before beauty Fearless," he said gesturing for Leo to go through first. Leo didn't feel like smiling but a small one crept up on his face despite that.

"In that case you're never getting out of here bro," Mikey said grinning at Raph and ducking a swing at his head. Donnie snorted a laugh.

"What're you laughing at? I ain't seen you win no beauty contests geek boy," Raph joked, prodding Donnie.

"Hey!" Donnie protested with a chuckle. "I'll win a beauty contest when you win a spelling bee," he joked, then backed up quickly when Raph's expression changed.

"You take that back!" Raph yelled, trying to take a swing at Donnie from around Mikey who was half-assed holding him back.

"Will you guys cut it out?! We gotta get out of here, if that's alright with you numbskulls," Leo reprimanded but couldn't keep the grin off his face either.

"Fine," Raph sulked giving Donnie a dirty look. "This ain't over geek squad," he mouthed at Donnie. As they took up a trot down the hall, Donnie gave him a wide grin and shook his head.

* * *

Above them, the hall was almost cleared. Leatherhead had went into one of the doors to retrieve something that Rockwell said was highly important. Asha didn't know what it was but decided to trust him when he said it was a life or death situation for everyone. Leatherhead had disappeared into a room, and when Asha got to the door of it she was floored by what she was seeing. It seemed to open onto what she could only describe as an alien landscape. It was like nothing she had ever seen in her life, and she was seriously considering that the drugs she had been forced to take, were finally having their hallucinogenic effect. It shouldn't have been possible. They were underground, in a finite space, so how could a room open up upon a whole new world? She was so awestruck, she barely heard Rockwell screaming at her to dodge an incoming attack. At the last moment she gathered her wits enough to see a large guard take a swing at her, punch landing squarely on her jaw and knocking her to the floor. Disoriented, she struggled to stand but he had crouched over her and let loose a barrage of punches in a ground-and-pound fashion. Getting herself together, she maneuvered out from under the guard and started to deliver a few strikes of her own. He was felled by claws to the throat. It was her favorite thing to do today. Quick and easy. There wasn't any space for fancy moves, just cold efficiency.

Finally, the hall was cleared of guards for the moment. Rockwell, Pete, the other turtle, and her all sagged against the wall. Rockwell removed his helmet and massaged his temples. Asha turned to see a figure bounding towards them from that strange room.

"We got incoming," she said wearily, but when Rockwell got up to see, a large smile spread across his face.

"It's Leatherhead! I can't believe it! He's got it!" Rockwell yelled to the large turtle. He nodded in approval, the scowl never leaving his face.

Asha looked over the turtles shoulder to see four more familiar reptilian faces turn the corner. Her heart skipped several beats as she saw Leonardo turn the corner first, but it sunk just as quickly when she saw his condition and that of his three brothers.

"Leo!" she yelled, her aching muscles screaming at her not to run, and her doing it anyway. She ran to him but stopped short of jumping on him. He was in no shape to support her weight. He smiled weakly at her, and reached his hand up to caress her face.

"I-I saw them hurt you. Asha are you okay? Are you hurt…" he was going to say more as she shushed him.

"Don't worry about me. We just need to get you and your brothers out of here, pronto," she said placing his arm around her shoulder and helping to support him. She allowed him to lean against the wall.

At that precise moment, Leatherhead came barreling through the doorway landing with a hard thud, his tail whipping. It caught Donatello in the face, lifting him off the floor and smacking him against the wall. Donnie slid down, wincing and holding his mouth in both hands. Rolling to his feet, the large alligator got into a defensive stance, ready to kill these new enemies until Rockwell stopped him.

"Who are you?!" Leatherhead growled angrily. There was an awkward silence as everyone looked at everyone else. The turtles were more intrigued by the appearance of yet another turtle than they were anything else. Raph stepped up to the large spiked turtle.

"So what's your name? Spike?" Raph said, allowing a very small crooked grin. The larger turtle winced.

"No. That's a stupid name and I hate it. The name's Slash." The mutant said folding his arms across his chest, and holding his large mace in his hand.

"Okay, quick intro's," Asha started. Pointing towards Leo she said "That's Leonardo, that's Raphael, Mikey, and Donnie. Guys, this is Rockwell, the big gator is Leatherhead, that's Pigeon Pete, and you've already met Slash." Each mutant nodded as they were introduced, except Donnie who was now wiggling his front tooth and scowling at Leatherhead. Pete was way too excited to meet new mutants as was Mikey. Turning to Leo and gesturing towards Rockwell Asha said,

"Leo he saved my life in that room. I owe him a debt of gratitude."

Rockwell did a sort of bow in her direction and gave a warm smile. Leo gave a more formal bow to the chimp.

"Thank you for saving her Rockwell, I am also in your debt."

"Well, it is fair to say I had a proper amount of motivation to say the very least. Asha you owe me nothing. Mutants need to stick together." Rockwell gave her another warm smile. "However, if we are quite finished with all the formal introductions, might I strongly suggest we get out of here on the double? I don't believe our captors will stand idly by as we make our escape." Rockwell said, making his way towards the now open doorway.

"He's right fellas. We're on the move." Leo said as they all trotted out.

It was eerie how easy it was to get out of there. They all supposed the guards had been told to stand down, but that was somehow worse than fighting their way out. They were thankful that they exited that building under cover of night. Just outside, they all parted ways. Leonardo had lots of questions, but no time to ask them or get them answered. He was disturbed by it, as it appeared that an even bigger event was on the horizon and they would all be caught unawares. Quickly, the turtles entered the sewer and began their long trek to the lair in total silence. Even Mikey was quiet, just being happy to be out of there.

* * *

In the surveillance room Shredder brooded. His fist balled so tight that his nails dug into the flesh of his palms. He told his men to stand down and allow the escape. That damn alligator had somehow known about the portal and entered it, much to Shredders surprise and dismay. He had come out with something, and Shredder believed he knew exactly what it was. It would delay his plans, and throw a bit of a monkey wrench in his partnership with those untrustworthy aliens. Their interference had left him in a delicate position, and it was better to address this setback later rather than try to prevent the escape. The alligator was unpredictable in all but his hatred of the alien beings who had once been his tormentors. As much as it pained him, Shredder had to allow this setback to happen. He was more determined than ever to fulfill his plans. First though, heads would have to roll. He looked over the monitors and landed on his first casualty. Dr. Stockman was in his lab gathering items and documents, looking as if he wanted to make an escape of his own. It wouldn't happen. Shredder made his way quickly to the lab, dispatching any guards he found to be alive. They had failed him as well and he would have no more of it. He met a startled Baxter Stockman at the door of the lab.

"Are we going somewhere?" Shredder asked ominously. Stockman took several stumbling steps backwards.

"N-n-no, y-yes I was just coming to..." Stockman was out of words. He swallowed thickly, eyes large behind his prescription lenses.

"Nothing to say for your failures? This was the last one doctor," Shredder said backing Stockman up against the wall. Stockman broke down into a fit of tears and begging for a mercy that he wasn't going to receive.

"Please, master Shredder, I promise…" he was saying before Shredder raised a single finger to silence him.

"I promise as well." With that Shredder pressed the small button on the collar around Stockman's neck and walked away.

"Nooooo! Pleeease!" He screamed but to no avail. Shredder left the room without even so much as a look back.

At first Baxter didn't think it would be too bad, after all he hadn't touched any animals, but as the first vial burst, a fly landed ever so softly on his hand. Stockman stared, an expression of horror etched across his face. His mutation would be a painful and lonely one.


	11. Chapter 11: Exiled

The walk back to the lair was laborious, long, and silent. Leonardo was fading fast as he tried not to have his brothers or Asha help him too much or carry him. He was losing that battle as Asha bore more and more of his weight. Raphael wasn't doing much better. The venom or whatever it was that Fishface transmitted through that bite was finally wearing down the large turtle. Mikey tried to use his skateboard but found it very difficult to keep his balance on it. Only Donnie and Asha were in a little better shape. The drug they had given her had worn off for the most part, and she was thankful for that. At least one side effect was the slow decrease of adrenaline. It allowed her to sustain Leo's weight without completely collapsing under it. Donnie was helping Raph, who was holding his forearm where he was bitten. The area was covered in a dark bruise and swollen.

Donatello kept his eyes downcast, watching his feet to make sure he didn't trip and fall or jostle Raph unnecessarily. Usually one to refuse help, Raph was taking advantage of the extra support from his brother. Tears were running down Donnie's face as he tried to hide the fact that he was crying, by adjusting his glasses and wiping his eyes on the sly. No one noticed his tears. Everyone was focusing all their energy on simply making it back to a safe haven. He was more hurt over the loss of his gear than even his own injuries. So much of that had taken him months of scavenging for parts and scrapping together odds and ends. How would he ever recover any of it? He didn't know, and was trying not to think about it too much.

Asha was guilt-ridden. This was her fault. She was the one running around killing foot soldiers wantonly, not caring about the consequences and foolishly believing that whatever they were would fall squarely on her shoulders and not to those she had come to care for. Only Leo had grasped the full gravity of her actions. Not even Donatello was completely privy to her actions or line of reasoning for doing what she was doing. In fact, they did not even know. All they knew was that she was placing herself in a risky situation as far as essentially working in the hornets' nest. They also knew she had sort of vowed revenge against the Foot Clan, but they hadn't realized how far she had taken that vow. Lions hunt during the day, so while the turtles were confined to their underground lair during daylight hours, she was working. Up until now she hadn't cared about anyone noticing the wake of destruction and dead bodies she was piling up behind her. The only one's she didn't want to catch on besides the turtles, were the police. There wouldn't have been anything like a murder conviction and a life prison sentence to put a halt to that vow of hers. She wrapped her tail tighter around her waist, kept her head down, and kept walking.

After what seemed like forever, they had all made it back to the lair. As soon as they got to the turnstiles, Splinter and April rushed towards them. Splinter took Leo from Asha's arms, and April immediately went to Mikey's aid. It was a mad dash to the lab. Every one of them needed medical attention including Donnie, but he neglected himself in deference to his brother's injuries. It was obvious Leo was in the worst shape. Splinter laid him gently on the table as Donnie rummaged through his makeshift medical kit. He was looking for strong painkillers, and antibiotics.

"My sons," Splinter was saying softly to no one in particular. He looked over his son and helped Donatello get him prepared for surgery. The bullet was still in his thigh, and they would later see a small knife left intentionally in his side to help aggravate the wound. On another table Mikey was laid on his plastron. His shell had a crack in it, although it wasn't as bad as he had first thought. Raphael had accepted Asha to quickly wrap his arm in gauze as he looked over Mikey's shell. Having had a few cracks of his own, he surmised that it wasn't too bad.

"Asha, get me that big bottle of hydrogen peroxide, the penicillin, some gauze, and those makeshift chuck pads," Donnie instructed. Silently Asha obeyed. She didn't see any penicillin. She showed Donnie the amoxicillin and he accepted that with a small frown. She took out a few capsules and gave them to Raph with a cup of water.

Asha left the lab area and took the time to change into her human form once again. For the second time in her life, she'd had quite enough of the lion today. She was in the very small space they had allotted her while she was staying with them. Since then she had always kept some emergency clothes. Coming back in a t-shirt and sweatpants, she looked in on Leo. Donnie had already started with Splinter as his assistant. Mikey had fallen asleep for the moment after taking a couple of pain pills. April and Raph sat in the common area with worried expressions on their faces. Slowly Asha melted down into a seat. She tented her hands and rested her chin on her fingertips, rocking back and forth slowly. She tried in vain to erase the images that assaulted her. How she had literally shredded that mutant to small pieces. In her drug induced state it appeared to her as a real bird, not a mutant. Not something that had maybe at one time been a human, who may have had human awareness. She shook her head, trying not to break down. She had enough to think about. She had a confession to make to all of them. Raph was pacing the floor every once in a while swaying on his feet.

"Raph please sit down." April said to him as she got up and tried to physically guide him to the couch. He reluctantly allowed it. She sat with him rubbing his arm to console him. Eventually he let himself sink into her embrace as she rocked with him. It was a tender moment, one that Asha didn't think she would ever see Raphael engaged in. He was fighting the urge to do what he usually did in these situations, break things. Asha decided that he probably couldn't physically go on the rampage he might have wanted to go on. The fury behind his green eyes bore witness to the truth of that thought.

After perhaps an hour or so, Donnie emerged from the lab wiping his hands on a towel and tossing it haphazardly to the floor. He was more than weary. Behind his glasses his brown eyes were completely bloodshot. He removed his glasses, rubbed the heels of his hands in his eyes for a while and then placed his spectacles back on his tired face. He plopped down on the couch without any of his usual grace. Raph jumped up and walked towards Donnie looking at him expectantly.

"He'll be fine Raph. He just needs to sleep for now. Dad wanted to be in there by himself for a few minutes. He'll be out in a few." Donnie said, not able to even lift his eyes to meet his brother's gaze.

Raph let out an audible sigh of relief. Just then Splinter came to join everyone else. He took a seat and then leveled his gaze directly at Asha.

"How did this happen? What happened that my sons have come back to me in this condition?" Splinter asked in a calm even tone, his eyes unwavering. Asha swallowed thickly as she recounted the events leading to their capture. Splinter, Raph, April, and Donnie listened attentively never once interrupting her. After she was finished no one spoke for a while. April was the first to break the silence.

"From the looks of Leo and Mikey specifically it appears they could have been killed. Would that be an accurate assumption?" The accusatory venom in her voice was unmistakable.

"Yeah, I would say we all could have been killed." Asha said. Under other circumstances she would have immediately gotten on the defensive, but decided that karma was at work here.

"So because you wanted to play detective, my boyfriend and his brother are laid up in the other room? Right?! Or maybe you weren't playing detective. Maybe you were just living out some sick whore ass fantasy by hanging around those damn creeps!" April had gotten up. In her anger she had forgotten her respect for Splinter. She was marching towards Asha.

"I didn't mean for this to happen. I-I just w-wanted to help." Asha stammered. There was no way to explain her reckless behavior and bad decisions.

"Help who?! Yourself because you can't get over a wrong done to you? Because you sure as hell aren't helping out the good people of this city. For damn sure not helping out Leonardo who could have died because you think this is a fucking joke! How could you _not_ have thought that stripping in the heart of Foot Clan country would backfire in your stupid face?!" April was on fire. Her anger making her tremble, as her eyes blinked rapidly but never leaving Asha's face.

"April, that's enough!" Splinter demanded. April stopped but she pinned Asha with a look of pure hatred and hurt.

"It wasn't because I worked at the club that made me a target," Asha began. "It was because I've been hunting them down in the day, and gathering information on their whereabouts at the club. I didn't mean to drag any of them into this. I thought they would only come after me, not Leo, not Mikey, not any of you!" Asha said, tears and guilt making her voice shake.

"I can't freaking believe this shit. It was bad enough you bein' at that fuckin' club, but to go so far as killing 'em, and then not even so much as givin' us a heads up about it! Ya know? 'Hey guys, I been killin' foot soldiers left and right. Might wanna watch ya backs!' We walked into this shit blind because of you!" Raphael was almost screaming now, and edging closer and closer to Asha.

"Raphael…" Splinter warned, but Raph didn't stop.

"Leo….Mikey. They fuckin' trust you, they love you and you betrayed that. Betrayed us!"

The blow left her ears ringing, and had flipped her over the back of the couch. Raph had closed the distance before anyone had even noticed, and smacked her hard across the face.

"Raphael!" Splinter yelled, making his way to intercept Raph before he could attack Asha again. He hit two pressure points and Raph stumbled backwards, seeming to almost fall asleep on his feet. Asha's eyes were wide as saucers and a large purple bruise spread across her cheek as it swelled. It hurt to the touch as she winced while trying to soothe the spot. She staggered to her feet, tears in her eyes. Donnie was looking at her with a mix of anger and sadness, April with hatred, and even master Splinter gave her a sorrowful and reproachful look.

"It should be you laying there instead of them. You should have been the only one to be tortured in that place. Leo is too good for you, he always was, and he always will be. If you loved him like you claim, you would have never done anything to bring him harm, ever." April said, her tone flat and harsh. Even Splinter was stunned at the harshness of April's words.

Asha looked towards the room where Leo was, not wanting to leave his side, but obviously not welcomed to stay any longer.

"Asha, I believe it would be best for you to leave for now." Splinter stated not even fully turning around as he spoke. He was holding April back who looked as if she was about ready to finish what Raph started.

Suppressing a wail that threatened to erupt from her throat, Asha ran as fast as she could through the sewer and back to her apartment. The tears flowed freely as she ran, the sharp edge of April and Raph's words twisting in her gut as they played over again in her mind. For the second time in her miserable life Asha's rash actions had cost her a family. Like before, she had been exiled. The trust she had gained with them demolished in the wake of a string of ill-advised moves and misguided motives.

She burst through the door of her rickety apartment, falling to her knees and letting out the wail she had been keeping at bay. She had forfeited her friendship with the turtles and maybe even Splinter, and most of all her relationship with Leo that had only recently gotten back on track. Asha collapsed onto her face and lay there crying until she couldn't anymore. After she stopped crying her mind was blank. The moment of clarity she'd thought she had with a vision of her uncle was a distant memory. Now more than ever, she had nothing to live for, no reason to be careful. She would drown her sorrows in violence. Bloody, disemboweling, dismembering violence. For the moment though, she needed to sleep. Not bothering to find the comfort of her bed, she curled up on the cold hardwood floor and rocked herself to sleep. The morning would bring a reign of terror for the purple dragons and the foot that they had never seen before.

* * *

Back at the lair April wasn't feeling good about what she had said to Asha in her anger, but didn't quite feel like retracting it either. In fact, as messed up as she felt about it, she did wish that it was Asha that was hurt instead of her Mikey. The look of reproach that Splinter had given her was enough to cool her anger a little, and bring a modicum of shame about it. Raphael was just now coming out of his slumber.

"I would send you to the Ha'shi had you not already been through enough Raphael. However, I will never allow the attack of innocents ever, let alone in the sanctity of our home. So for your actions, you are assigned on duty to assist Donatello in whatever he may need. In fact, you take your medicine and then take first watch over your brothers while I attend to Donatello." Splinter said, regaining his calm demeanor.

"Hai sensei," Raphael had better sense than to argue this point with his father.

"As for you Ms. O'Neil, while I may not be able to send you to the Ha'shi, you should feel ashamed over the words you have spoken to Asha. I was also not happy about her revelations this evening, but that was not a reason to speak hard words born of anger. Many times she has proven an ally to this family, and a friend to my sons. She acted out of ignorance yes, but not for a moment do I believe that it was with malicious intent. Words are like arrows shot from a bow April. Once they have been shot, they cannot be called back. I will not send you away due to your love for Michelangelo, but I do wish that you ponder over what I have said." Splinter said, his shoulders slumping under the invisible weight of worry and fatherly concern. April hung her head in her hands as she flopped back down onto the couch.

"I will retire for the night Donatello after I have seen to your injuries. If there are any new developments, please do not hesitate to come and get me. I'm going to retrieve some medications for you and something to clean your cuts." Splinter said patting Donnie's shell and making his way to the lab. Under the strain of the past couple days, he looked old and worn out. Donnie noticed the more pronounced limp as Splinter walked, and made mental not to find out what medication best helped arthritis.

"Hai sensei, but I don't need…" he wanted to continue but the look in his father's eyes brooked no argument. Donnie swallowed the rest of his sentence and cast his eyes down respectfully. Raphael grumbled something under his breath, and then went into the lab to sit with Leo and Mikey as they slept.

Donnie had taken a lot of strikes to his carapace. Where it had once been relatively smooth around the edges, his nuchal scutes as well as the marginal scutes around the top edge were all split and dinged up. It was uncomfortable to say the least. The impact from bullets and the strike of swords and knives on their shells actually hurt quite a bit, and Donnie was no exception. The gashes weren't very deep, but Splinter took the precaution of disinfecting them nonetheless. After he was done, Splinter gathered up all the supplies and headed off to put them back. Before he could leave however Donnie gently grabbed his father's hand. Splinter turned a sympathetic eye to his son.

"Do you think she will come back after tonight? I'm worried about her, and about how Leo's gonna react to her being gone." Donnie admitted. Splinter thought for a moment.

"Honestly I do not know. I am worried over her state of mind. She is young and has been through many perils, and situations where she has lost much," Splinter said rubbing Donnie's shoulder. "I do not know what she may do, but I think it would be best for now to leave her alone. Sometimes, one needs to face their own fears and demons without the aid of others. This is a war she may well have to wage alone." Donnie thought about his father's words then shook his head.

"I think someone needs to talk to her. Leo isn't gonna be able to do it, so I think I should dad. It's too dangerous and she shouldn't be out there alone with the Shredder planning who knows what…" Donnie said, his voice becoming higher pitched the more concerned he grew. Splinter rubbed his shoulder once more.

"Donatello, go and get some rest. In the morning I would like for you to meditate with me to clear your mind. If after that you still believe you should speak with Asha, you have my permission to do so, but only on the further condition that the health of your brothers doesn't deteriorate."

"Hai sensei." Donnie said simply, standing to go back into the lab himself, and gently relieving his father of the supplies.

"You go and get some rest too dad, and sorry we had you worried. We'll be more careful next time." Donnie said trying to smile. Splinter returned it weakly and retired to his room to sleep.

* * *

**A/N: I would love to sincerely thank basecannon, TheLadyOfSouls, Joyeaux5-10, and Leetah1999 for their much appreciated reviews and for reading. That goes for all my readers and those who favorite or follow my stories. *smooches***


	12. Chapter 12: Toothless

Raph looked around startled out of his sleep, glad to have awoken from his confused nightmare. Donatello was still asleep in his bed, completely exhausted. Raph looked over to Mikey who was still laying on his plastron sleeping peacefully, a wistful smile playing on his lips. Must have been dreaming about April. Leonardo on the other hand had a scowl upon his face. He twitched often, his head moving back and forth slowly. Slowly Raphael eased out of the chair and stood by Leo's side, grasping his hand into his own and holding it. With the other hand he rubbed the sweat from his brother's brow.

Leo's eye was still swollen. Donnie had sewn up his side and wrapped it with bandages. Raph could see blood seeping through which meant that it was almost time to change those bandages. His thigh was also wrapped, and Donnie had rubbed a salve on Leo's skin in the places where the electrocution had burned him. Through all his injuries and pain, Leo had still fought bravely, still held it together for his family. His family. Leo had counted Asha as his family too. Raph scoffed to himself at the thought of her. Leo was the way he was because of her. He checked the level of Leo's antibiotic drip just like Donnie taught him how to do. When he saw it was fine he returned to his seat, wiping his face with his hand.

His whole forearm was still bruised, swollen, and sore to the touch. He had taken his own dosage of medication and now just needed to wait it out. He'd thrown up at least two times since his watch began. His stomach roiled again and Raph made his way out of the lab and into the bathroom. Once he was sure he was done, he trudged to the kitchen for water. His throat was dry and his lips were cracking. April was laying on the couch in a fitful sleep. He tried not to wake her, but as he downed his third glass of water, she found her way into the kitchen as well.

"Hey," April said as she flopped into a chair.

"Hey," Raph mumbled. He sat down himself across from her.

"How's Mikey doing?" She asked. She'd gotten up to get her own glass of water and sat back down.

"He's alright. Sleeping like you should be doing." Raph eyed her as she stared miserably into her glass. Very small raccoons were nesting around her eyes.

"Yeah well, I can't really sleep. I keep thinking about that crack down his shell. Is his back broken Raph?" She asked suddenly concerned about this new thought.

"Huh? No, no, no. It's nothin' that bad. Looks worse than what it is. A little bond on it, he'll be good as new." Raph said. She let out a sigh of relief.

"Think Asha's gonna come back?" April asked tentatively watching Raph's reaction. His face screwed into a frown so serious it was almost disgust.

"I don't really give a shit what she does. Leo walked into a trap cause of her." He was about to get into the whole thing again and then shook his head. "I don't even wanna get into it right now."

April said nothing. For a while she watched him. He talked tough but the look on his face said he wasn't quite filled with the venom he was spitting.

"Have you ever hit someone that wasn't your enemy like that?" She knew it was a loaded question.

"Hit my brothers all the time."

"That's not the same. They can take the blow."

"She took it. She's alive ain't she? I figure she got off easy." He was getting agitated quickly.

"Yeah but..."

"Look I said I didn't wanna talk about it." He got up in a huff to leave and almost ran into Donnie.

"What are we talking about that we don't wanna talk about anymore?" He asked eyeing both of them.

"Nothin'." Raph said trying to get around his brother, but Donnie's tall frame took up all the space.

"Move Donnie," Raphael warned. Donnie sized him up then shook his head.

"I don't think so tonight. No need to skedaddle. I wanna talk to you anyway, both of you in fact." Donnie's tone was matter-of-fact. Not feeling like any of it, Raph stood back. He bristled a bit as Donnie got past him, but otherwise did not try to leave the kitchen.

"If you're here to try to put a guilt trip on us about miss thing, it's not gonna work. I'm not apologizing for anything I did." April said rising to her feet. Donnie's back was turned as he was getting together a pot of coffee.

"You're not dismissed either." He said to her in a tone that was almost stern.

"Donnie..." she said incredulously.

"April." He shot back at her, looking over his shoulder and pinning her with a glare.

"If I gotta hear it so do you. So might as well take a seat." Raph said while pulling back a chair for her. With an annoyed sigh she sat down.

"Ok so, am I the only one that didn't think smacking fire from Leo's girlfriend was ok?" Donnie asked them looking from one to the other. For a moment or two there was no other sound in the kitchen except the sound of the coffee maker.

"Gee I don't know Donnie. Was I the only one hearing her confess to getting us caught up in the Shredder's house of horrors?" Raph said with a raised brow.

"She made a few mistakes..."

"A few mistakes? Are you freaking kidding me?!" April said interrupting Donnie. "All of you were almost killed Donnie. Did you somehow miss that?"

"No I didn't miss anything. She was there also. She was tortured right along with us. Let's be serious for a moment, we're always almost getting killed. It kinda comes with the ninja vigilante territory." Donnie was speaking directly to April. She rolled her eyes. Donnie raised both brows behind his glasses.

"Oh is that how it is? I seem to remember a certain reporter leading Shredder directly to our home, getting us captured, and almost getting Splinter killed. I also seem to remember forgiving this individual. I also don't recall smacking this person for the aforementioned offenses...Raphael." Raph was frowning but at least looked a little shamefaced about it. April turned a very pale color and looked down at the table.

"Yeah but I didn't know Sacks was involved. It's not like I went looking for trouble." April said in defense of herself.

"No, you just went looking for an opportunity to make a name for yourself using us. Just so happened to change your mind about it." Donnie said, only meaning to drive a point home, not put her on the defensive.

"Listen, the point is that what Asha was doing wasn't so bad. The bad part was that she didn't let us know so that we could take the proper precautions." Donnie said finally turning around and fixing his cup of coffee.

"Well your little speech was nice, but like I said before I couldn't care less what she does. She ain't nothin' but trouble, and she can stay gone for all I care." Raph said, having enough of it and getting up to leave.

"How much do you wanna bet Leonardo has a different take on that? Do you really think he's gonna let it go that not only was she spoken to harshly, but that you had the audacity to lay a hand on her?" Donnie said stopping Raph in his tracks. Raph stopped, but didn't turn around.

"Yeah well, it's done now can't take it back. I can deal with Fearless. He'll be better off without her." Raph said storming out of the kitchen. He would have gone to the dojo, but he was still feeling weak. His body was begging him for sleep, and he headed to his room.

"You need to be in the lab so I can keep an eye on that bite," Donnie called after him.

"Fuck you Donnie. Keep an eye on that!" Raph called back and slammed his bedroom door.

Donnie stared in the general direction Raph had gone, then took a sip of coffee. April had gotten to her feet and was heading towards Mikey's room. Don thought about calling after her, but then didn't want to be cursed out by her too. Instead he took his coffee in the lab and started his watch. Morning seemed very far away.

* * *

Xever, Tiger Claw, Rahzar, a newly mutated Stockman, and Eric Sacks all stood before Shredder, as he sat on his throne. Everyone besides Sacks appeared very nervous. Shredder was eyeing them all for what seemed to be an eternity.

"What is the status of our two projects from our robotics division?" He asked finally turning to Eric.

"Very good. The nanotech has already been delivered to the warehouse, Rahzar can report about that part of it. I am also pleased to report our animatronics department are in the prototype stages for your robotic ninjas. The staff have already dubbed them Footbots," Eric smiled as he made his report. Shredder nodded his approval and Eric Sacks looked over to his ragtag bunch of colleagues, and gave them his most smug smile.

"This is very good to hear. You've done well. See to it that those 'footbots' are ready for trials soon, and report to me their progress." Shredder said to Eric, who then gave him a quick bow and began to leave the room.

"Rahzar, have those purple dragon fools combined the nanotech with the drug yet?" Shredder asked now turning his attention to Rahzar.

"Yes master Shredder, and they have no idea what it does…or what we plan to actually do with it," Rahzar said, happy to report some success of his own.

"Hmmm, good. As soon as you return to the warehouse, gather them up and inject them with the drug. I need to make sure I have complete control over them while they are under its influence. That leads me to you Stockman," Shredder said, his tone becoming firmer as he cast his gaze upon a very subdued Baxter Stockman. "Are you still in control of your wits Dr. Stockman?"

"Zzz..yesss Mazzter Shredder…zzz." Stockman buzzed.

"Hmph, for whatever that's worth," Shredder said with a rather disgusted look on his face. "I will need you to have them carry out my orders explicitly. For the next few days I will need that gang to cause chaos and mayhem within the city," Shredder was saying as he got up to slowly pace the room. His henchmen moved aside giving him a wide berth. "As of now their crimes can be handled by regular police activity. I need more. I want widespread panic and fear to grip this city. I already control the police force, I also control the mayor. For the next three days the police department will stand down. Emergency calls will be intercepted. On the third day we will greet the police chief and the city officials on the steps of city hall, as they address the public. It is then that the second phase of my plan will begin…"Shredder was about to continue when he was interrupted by Xever.

"Master Shredder, the purple dragons will not be expecting to have to take the drug themselves will they?" He asked as Shredder pinned him with a look, but then shook his head. "Excuse me for asking but, how will you get them to take it?" Xever asked trying not to hold his breath for the response.

"The Foot Clan can be quite persuasive Xever. I trust that Rahzar will find that task most pleasurable. Never underestimate the power of a few well aimed shuriken." Shredder said with a devious smile. Turning to Baxter Shredder gave another disgusted look before he spoke. He hated the way Stockman twitched, and couldn't seem to stay in one place. Shredder was noticing Stockman's unnerving tendency to suddenly take flight and then land too close to you. It was one of the more grotesque mutations Shredder had seen, and he'd seen some of the lab failures.

"I require you at the headquarters of the robotics division. You are to monitor the stability of the nanotech that was infused with the drugs. I will give you general orders to program the subjects with. In their drug induced state, their minds will interpret those orders in different ways, but I don't mind. That will only lead to more confusion and chaos." Shredder said stopping to take a look over the city through the large windows of his headquarters. He had his hands behind his back and seemed to go into deeper thought.

"For what reason do we need so much chaos? What purpose does that serve for you?" Tiger Claw asked, not sure of the answer he would get.

"We are going to create the chaos in order to bring about a sort of police state. Martial law if you will, only it won't be sanctioned by any government other than my own. Once the city is firmly in the grip of its own fear, it will need someone competent enough to guide it. The public will turn on their officials once they realize they cannot provide protection or help. On the heels of the previous attacks, it won't take long to whip the people into a frenzy. They will need my steady hand, and iron fist of the Foot Clan to take control. Even the turtles will not be able to stop this plan. They cannot be everywhere at once, and when they do show their hideous faces, I will be there to eradicate them once and for all."

All of his henchmen nodded their approval. This was very grandiose, even for Shredder. They waited to be dismissed, and when he gave them the go ahead they quickly left his presence. He continued to peer out over the city. The eastern sky became just a bit brighter as dawn approached. Shredder decided that he would get some rest for now. He hadn't told his henchmen about the aliens he had been dealing with, and he had no plans to do so. Those aliens were untrustworthy, but still he had been dealing with them in order to get unlimited access to mutagen. He was a little concerned over what the alligator had taken from dimension X, and he would have to give some explanation of it but it didn't matter. Soon he would control the city, and its forces, and there wouldn't be anything anyone could do to depose him once that was accomplished.

Instinctively, he gave a slight smirk and reached for Karai's shoulder as he often did. His hand almost raised to grip her when he remembered she was gone. If she were there, she would be standing by his side, one eyebrow raised, a hand propped on her hip, and her chin held high in dignity. She'd be giving him a sideways glance, and wearing a knowing and devious smirk of her own. He became instantly infuriated. The anger of his loss always crashed into him at times like this. His smirk turned into a deep grimace. He wished he could grieve her properly, but he had never been able to do that. His grief was always and unfailingly anger instead of sorrow. This was the closest he had come to true heartache and he hated it. He hated Leonardo for causing it. They would pay. The entire city would pay and keep paying. He turned on his heels and left for his private quarters.

* * *

A lightless dawn crept into the lair. Waking master Splinter, Donatello, and making Leo twitch restlessly in his sleep. Donnie stood up and stretched for a long time. He gave his legs a quick massage to get the blood back pumping and trudged sleepily to the bathroom. He washed himself, and started to brush his teeth when he simply stopped to look in the mirror. That alligator's tail had done a number on him. His mouth was swollen, but that was starting to go down. The biggest issue was that it had knocked a tooth loose, a front tooth to be precise. Donnie had always disliked the fact that they had teeth in the first place. More specifically, he disliked _his _teeth. He was the first to get them out of his brothers and he had always had too many. They used to crowd his mouth, and Splinter would have his brothers hold him down, and he removed some of them before they had a chance to create double rows. He remembered wishing he didn't have any teeth, and now as an adult turtle he wanted nothing more than to keep this one. It was wiggling and he knew he would have to remove it, or be plagued with constantly moving it around with his tongue for eternity.

Donnie took a deep breath, one hand gripping the side of the sink, and the other with fingers gripped tightly on the tooth in question. He decided just to yank on the count of three.

"One…"

"…two…"

"…three!" With a good hard yank he pulled the tooth free. He winced but otherwise it didn't really hurt all that bad. He rinsed his mouth with warm water and then looked at his now gap-toothed smile.

"Hmph, not all that bad Donnie boy," he said to himself as he continued to check himself out. He thought it would make him look stupid, but he thought it actually added a bit of charm.

He waited a little while for his gums to stop bleeding then came out and went directly to the dojo. Usually that was Leo's routine, but he knew Splinter would be there waiting for him. True enough, as he entered the dojo Splinter was already in meditation or so it seemed. As Donnie slowly approached his sensei, Splinter patted the floor in front of him, indicating that Donnie should sit down. He first went over to a small shelf and grabbed his old abacus that he had since he was a toddler. Placing it in front of him, he began to count on it. Simple math, addition followed by multiplication. Counting always put him in a good headspace and solving simple equations helped to clear his mind for meditation. This was how Donnie got into his "zone" as Mikey would put it.

He didn't know how long he had been sitting, but when he came out of it master Splinter was still sitting across from him but smiling now.

"Go my son. Seek out your friend and see if you can console her. I believe she may need you now more than she believes she does." Splinter said, continuing to smile benevolently at Donnie.

"Hai sensei, and thank you. I'm going to go right now. Do you think you all will be okay keeping a watch on Mikey and Leo? I won't be gone long I promise, and I won't be seen." Donnie said scrambling to his feet. Splinter simply nodded. With his new gap-toothed grin, one which Splinter found endearing, Donnie left to visit Asha. He had a bad feeling that wormed itself into his gut, and he wanted to make it to her place before she could get into any more trouble.


	13. Chapter 13: Fight Club

**A/N: Monster chapter ahead. Sorry about that but, I absolutely felt I had to put it all in this chapter and then continue to the next. Happy reading!**

* * *

Asha arose from her sleep just as the first tinges of light touched the sky. The floor was hard and cold, and she woke with her side and hip aching. She got up and staggered to the bathroom. She looked into the mirror and was not pleased. Her eyes were puffy from crying herself to sleep. Her cheek was no longer swollen, but she still sported a nasty purple bruise. Quickly she jumped into the shower, brushed her teeth and got dressed. Asha put on a thick hoodie, jeans, and boots. She went to the kitchen to see if there was anything she could grab to eat. There was only some slices of bread, and a little bit of deli meat. She folded the meat in a slice of bread and gobbled it down, chased by a glass of water. There was no joy to take in it, simply putting something in her stomach out of necessity.

Today she would find that warehouse in Chinatown. It would probably take her all day to stake it out, but she wasn't worried about that. She grabbed her staff and went for the door. She stood for a moment and looked around. She didn't know if she'd make it back or not. She sighed deeply, and then left. Had she stayed a few more minutes Donnie would have caught her, but she left before he got to her door.

Asha decided that she would take more conventional means to Chinatown by taking the subway. She was a sight to see carrying around a bo staff, but by far not the strangest sight on a subway platform in New York. It was a decent ride, but she got off as soon as she got to the edges of the neighborhood. It was now well into the morning, as the streets began to bustle with shop owners and restaurateurs opening up their businesses. She walked around a bit and then took a seat on a bus stop bench. Asha liked to people watch, so took a little time out to do so now. These people had no idea of the magnitude of shit that was constantly being cooked up all around them.

Inevitably while she scanned the small crowds of people, her mind turned to Leo. How was he doing? Had he woke up yet? Their T-phones were gone, so her communication was cut off. If he were awake now would he be as angry with her as the rest of his family was? Honestly, she didn't know the answers to any of those questions and it worried her more than anything. Leo was in the weeds, and she desperately wanted to be by his side when he came out of them. She wondered if he would think she was a selfish bitch who just didn't care about him. Asha tried to clear her mind. She couldn't afford to be in her feelings with what she was intending to do. She had to be focused and ready for anything. Just at that moment her eye was drawn about a block and half away. Walking towards her were three suspicious looking individuals, and then they dipped off into either an alleyway or a side street. She wasn't sure, but they seemed to be gang members and that could only mean purple dragons on this side of town.

She got up from her seat and started walking that way, trying to be inconspicuous. She got to where they turned in as quickly as possible, and peered around the corner. It was a lonely side street, but she did see them. Immediately she took to the rooftops and proceeded to follow them. As she got closer she discovered they were indeed purple dragons. She wanted to just attack, but held off and decided it would be a smarter bet to simply follow and watch.

She tailed them for hours. For gang members, their day-to-day routine was awfully boring. Finally they circled around to a warehouse that looked like just the place. She knelt down and took a much needed rest. She was hungry and getting kind of cold, but at least she had found their little hideout. Asha closed her eyes and just listened. She could only make out many voices but none of what they were saying. Once voice in particular didn't sound quite like it belonged to a human being. She looked over the side to see what she could see. Nothing. She moved around to get another vantage point and found a decent one.

The skylights on top of the warehouse were dingy but she could make out the shape of a large mutant. Looked like some type of crazy looking dog, or heaven forbid a bootleg werewolf of some kind. Asha knew a few werewolves personally, none of them looked this bad. He was marching around probably barking orders. She scanned the surrounding area. There were a few ninjas patrolling. She watched them intently, trying to see a pattern to their patrol. There were only five or six that she could see. It was only edging towards the late afternoon, and she needed to sleep for a while, but not when there were foot ninjas to discover her.

Asha rose only to a crouching position, and moved around to the ninja nearest her. In as much silence as possible, she took him out. The others were just as easily dispatched as she made her way back around to her original spot. If they had others that would take over their watch, she didn't know but figured that the most likely case. She huddled in an old exhaust whose fan had been removed at some point. She was no ninja but still wanted to operate under the cover of night. She hugged her knees, laid her staff at her side, and took a short nap. Now all there was to do was wait and hope she didn't get caught sleeping.

* * *

Donnie made it back to the lair disappointed. He'd missed her somehow. Was it possible she woke up even earlier than Leo? It didn't matter. He had picked her lock and gone into her apartment to make sure she wasn't laying in there hurt. When he couldn't find her, he left her a backup T-phone and a note that he hoped she would eventually get.

For now his main concern were his brothers. Master Splinter came out of the lab, apparently having checked up on them.

"Did you find her Donatello?" Splinter asked.

"No she wasn't there. I sort of broke in I guess, but only to make sure she wasn't in there hurt, or worse. I left her a phone so she could call if she needed." Donnie said. Splinter stroked his beard, a concerned look on his face.

"In truth that worries me, but I fear we need to focus primarily on your brothers. Mikey is awake. Leonardo woke up briefly, but went back to sleep just as quickly." Splinter said and then made his way to the kitchen.

Donnie went into his lab to check up on his brothers. Mikey was still laying down but wide awake and smiled when he saw Donnie.

"Hey bro. Feels like I been sleep forever. I'm hungry." Mikey was saying as he patted around on his own shell, feeling the crack there. "Hey you didn't fix me up yet, what gives Doctor Donnie?"

"Sorry Mikey. A whole lot of crap has been going on since you conked out on the bed. I'm about to put you back together right now though." Donnie said as he got the reams of fiberglass cloth, and the resin mixture.

"Now, you can't start freaking out when I sand down your shell Mikey," Donnie called over his shoulder. Mikey's face contorted with sudden worry.

"Why would you wanna turn my shell into sand Donnie?! What the hell man?!" Mikey said trying to get up off the bed before Donnie came back over. Donatello just looked back at Mikey and his antics.

"Why would I turn your shell into sand Mikey? What possible reason on Earth would I have to basically try to kill you?"

"I dunno," Mikey shrugged. "Could've been one of your weird sciency experiment things. How am I supposed to know? You tell me!" Mikey said loudly.

"Would you be quiet? Goodness gracious I am not gonna turn your shell into sand. It's not even possible….you know what Mikey, I'm not even going to continue this conversation. Just lay back down, and let me fix the crack okay? Is that fine by you?" Donnie asked having placed the supplies on the table next to Mikey anyway.

"I guess so," Mikey said warily, but with a smile playing at his lips. "Question." Mikey said.

"What is it Mike?" Donnie asked preparing the resin mixture.

"That stuff fixes the crack right?" Mikey asked.

"Yes it does."

"So, why does Raph still have cracks in his shell then?"

Donnie looked at his younger brother with a serious look. Mikey waited with baited breath.

"He still has a crack because he freaks out about the sanding of his shell." Donnie said still giving Mikey his most stern face. Mikey didn't say anything. Then suddenly the lab was filled with his laughter.

"BWAHAHAHA! Oh My God, Raph is scared of the sanding thing?! This is golden. Donnie you don't know the gift you have given me dude!" Mikey said still laughing until tears started streaming from his eyes. Donnie was chuckling too until he caught the meaning of what Mikey had just said.

"Uh uh, no no no. Michelangelo, if I catch you in here or within ten feet of my sander I will actually, literally, and without fail turn your shell into sand." Donnie said still chuckling and trying to be serious enough for Mikey to know he wasn't playing.

"Oh c'mon! You cannot give me this type of information and then expect me to do NOTHING about it. This is the Mikester you're talking to Donnie. Dr. Prankenstein in the flesh bro. Plus, I would NEVER ruin any of your things and you know it." Mikey pleaded. Donnie couldn't even pretend not to find that hilarious. He thought back to many a ruined experiment at Mikey's hand in the name of a prank. Instead of getting mad about it like he usually did, it just made him laugh more. He needed this. Trust Mikey to make it happen.

Finally, Mikey stopped laughing so much and laid down to allow Donnie to work.

"Where's my angel cakes, she should be in here with me to endure the smell of that crap you're smearing on my shell." Mikey said, actually enjoying the feeling of his shell being patted and rubbed.

"I think she's still sleep in your room." Donnie said, his voice tightening a little. He didn't want to be the one to tell Mikey what happened, but knew he had no choice.

"So, what happened last night? You said a whole bunch of stuff went one while we were sleep." Mikey asked innocently. Donnie looked over at Leo to make sure he was still sleep. He didn't want him to hear what happened just yet.

"Well, there was kind of a blowup about how we got into that whole situation to begin with." Donnie began. He was trying to pick his words carefully, but knew it was just a matter of time. If anyone could get Donnie to spill his guts, it was Mikey.

"Go on."

"Well, Master Splinter sort of asked Asha what happened. When she told him April and Raph sort of blew up at her." Donnie waited to see Mikey's reaction before going any further.

For a moment or so Mikey didn't reply. That wasn't good. Mikey always had a response or an excuse for those whom he loved for their actions. Donnie thought Mikey knew he was holding back information, as Mike was very perceptive in matters like this.

"Please do tell Doctor Donnie. What exactly did my angel cakes and Raphie boy get up to?" Mike's voice had lost some of his previous jovial tone.

"Well, April sort of said a few choice words to Asha and…" Donnie paused to make sure Leo wasn't awake. It was a little iffy, but Don decided Leo was really still sleep and so continued.

"…Raph ended up slapping her…hard. She left after that and we haven't heard from her since last night." Donnie breathed somewhat relieved to not have that as a secret anymore from at least one of his brothers. There would still be Leo to contend with later.

"WHAT?!" Mikey said almost jumping up. He'd forgotten he was getting his shell fixed and Donnie had to hold him in place.

"Mikey lower your voice. Leo doesn't know yet, obviously." Donnie warned trying to settle Mikey down.

"Uuggh" Leo's voice floated weakly across the room, but still managed to silence both Mikey and Donnie. Neither of them spoke a word.

"Uugh, Donnie…" Leo's voice came floating a little stronger now.

"Leo, I'm here," Donnie said as he finished the placing the final layer of fiberglass on Mikey's shell. "Don't move, I'll be there in a few seconds," he said as he saw Leo try to sit up.

"Okay. Where is everybody?" He asked. His voice was a little raw but otherwise had a little strength behind it as he kept talking.

"Well, I'm fixing Mikey's shell,"

"Wassup bro!"

"Raph is still asleep, sensei's in the kitchen, and I think April is also asleep." Donnie hoped Leo wouldn't ask about Asha right now, as he and Mikey traded worried glances. Donnie finished the last layer.

"Just lay here and let it dry Mikey. Then I can sand it and we will be done." Donnie instructed. Mikey gave him innocent eyes. Donnie knew better than to trust that.

"I'm serious Mikey don't get up running around or I will have to take that off and start all over again."

"Okay, okay," Mikey said relenting and putting his head down, but was highly interested in the drama that would no doubt ensue. Just at that moment Splinter entered the lab.

"My son, I heard your voice." Splinter said coming over to stand at Leo's side. "How do you feel this evening?"

"It's night already? Oh man, how long was I out?" Leo asked again trying to sit up. Donnie and Splinter helped him to a sitting position.

"Yes Leonardo, it is night now. You weren't unconscious for very long. This is only the next night." Splinter said, taking a towel and wiping Leo's sweaty brow and head.

"Oh okay that's not too bad. I actually feel a lot better," Leo said touching his swollen eye gingerly. "I need this to be cut Donnie, like how boxers do. I need to be able to see. I've had enough of it being swollen."

"You sure about that? You could just wait until it goes down. We heal pretty fast as you well know. Your skin is already much better, and since I last changed your bandages, they haven't needed changing again and that's been hours now." Donnie asked.

"Yeah, just cut it right quick. It'll be fine," Leo said. After a moment, "where's Asha?" Splinter and Donnie exchanged a worried glance of their own between them.

"I believe Raphael would be best suited to answer that question." Splinter said simply. Leo looked confused for a moment.

"Did they get into some kind of argument or something? Thought they were passed that kind of stuff." He asked mildly amused. "Did she get all girly on you all? Don't tell me she couldn't take seeing me like this." He said smiling a little at the thought, but then faded as he noticed neither his father nor his brother were amused in the slightest.

"I will go and get Raphael and allow him to explain," sensei said and left the room. A few minutes later a relieved but nervous looking Raphael was standing in the doorway. His arm was still bandaged. Donnie went towards him, but Raph gave him a warning glare that Leo didn't miss. Instead Donnie headed towards the doorway himself.

"Leo, I'll be back in a moment. I'm going to go get you some water." Donnie said, leaving before Leo could respond. A moment passed as Raph was staring between his feet not saying anything.

"So? Not gonna hug me or at least give me a hard time? What's with you and why does Splinter want you to explain where Asha is?" Leo asked trying to sit up a little straighter.

"Well huggin' you is outta the question, but I am glad to see ya up. You were in the weeds pretty bad there Leo." Raph said finally looking at Leo.

Donnie had gone to get the water, but first took a seat at the kitchen table. April made her way into the kitchen without speaking to Donatello. He watched her for a bit, uncharacteristically annoyed by her right now. The nerve of her to be somehow angry with him after she was the one acting out. He gave a disgusted sigh and decided two could play that game. As much as he liked April, he wasn't going to cater to her attitude. It didn't take long for him to hear the raised voices he knew he would hear.

"YOU DID WHAT?!" Leo's voice thundered as he was snatching the IV out of his arm and getting to his feet. He stumbled a bit but got himself together to stand toe to toe with Raph.

"Look Leo, I'm sorry okay?! I didn't mean it to go that far! I just lost control, she'll be alright." Raph said pleading with Leo but still holding his position. He wasn't gonna beg Leo to forgive him that was for sure. For a moment Leo was stunned into a furious silence.

"She'll be alright?! Are you fucking crazy?"

Raph winced a little, knowing that a foul mouthed Leo was a dangerous Leo.

"This was all her fault. We was all hurt because of her! She was running around killing foot soldiers like she was nuts and didn't even give us a heads up about it. You're girlfriend's a whackjob Leo. You'll be better off without her here."

Leo punched him. Before he knew what he was doing he punched Raph in the face. He knew there wasn't a whole lot of strength behind it, but he couldn't help his reaction. Raph rubbed the spot and stared hurtful darts at his older brother.

"What the fuck Leo?" He asked without his usual venom.

"Get out of my sight Raphael." Leo said in a low dangerous tone.

"Leo, m'sorry. I was just…"

"OUT OF MY SIGHT!" Leo screamed in Raph's face. The hurt in Raphael's eyes almost made Leo regret that, but he couldn't back down. What Raph had done was shameful, and more importantly Leo felt disrespected by the action. Raph left the room quietly, which was way out of character. Leo looked over at Mikey who had a scared look on his face. If Mikey hated one thing, it was bad fights between his brothers. Leo looked at Mikey with a sympathetic look.

"I'm sorry you had to see all that Mikey." Leo said as he sat back down on the bed. Mikey shook his head.

"Nah bro, I don't like it but I understand it. I can't believe he hit her." A second later, "sorry man."

"I'm going to have to find her and talk to her. If I know anything about her at all, she wouldn't have taken this well. I need to make this right." Leo said trying to get back to his feet but feeling woozy. He was still in no shape to do much of anything. He sat back down defeated with his head in his hands. Mikey thought he saw Leo's shoulders hitch, and knew he needed to comfort his brother. He got up and went to sit next to Leo and wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

* * *

Asha sat in the exhaust for a little while longer listening for any sounds. When she heard nothing she slowly exited and peered around the rooftop. Seeing no signs of anyone, she removed all her clothing and folded them neatly inside the exhaust pipe and then shifted. Grabbing her staff she edged towards the skylight. She still couldn't make out what they were saying, but there seemed to be a bit of dissention in the ranks down there.

There was the mutated werewolf, the tiger, and a very large angry human. They seemed to be arguing about something. Asha eased one of the skylights open and dropped inside to a landing that wasn't too far below it. She crouched, listening to what was being said.

"….I knew this was bullshit! You waltz in here and make us fucking take this shit ourselves?! You and that metal headed motherfucker are gonna pay for this!" Hun was shouting to the top of his lungs at Rahzar, for once forgetting his fear of the mutant. The foot ninjas had attacked his men and forcibly injected them with the drugs before sending them into the streets.

"You aren't gonna do anything but what Shredder says," Rahzar snarled as he stalked towards Hun. "I told you before that Shredder was running this whole thing, not you and your merry band of idiots."

"Is that a fact?"

"A true fact."

"Well how about I tell Shredder to shove his plans where the sun don't shine, huh?" Hun removed the lid off a crate to reveal bottles of 'Rampage'. "Never did taint this with whatever that other crap was. How about I hold this hostage? I'm sure your boss would pay a pretty penny for this." Hun said. Asha didn't think he knew what he was going to achieve, but it was pretty ballsy. Stupid, but ballsy.

"Or I could kill you and take it…." Rahzar growled. Asha wasted no more time. She spotted a few people on the rampart she was crouched on. A mix of foot soldiers and purple dragons. Moving swiftly she downed two before they realized something was up there with them. She moved through them, not even using her staff. She was in the mood to rip people to shreds. She disemboweled two more before removing the arm of the last man. He didn't die, but he wished she'd killed him. His screams made everyone look up.

Asha leaped from the rampart to a nearby beam and scaled down before finally leaping to the floor, landing in front of all three. Their momentary surprise was replaced by the prospect of fighting and killing a new enemy.

"Well well well, if it isn't the lion girl," Rahzar snarled taking a good look at Asha. "Sort of impressive if you like housecats. Rocksteady had to be lame as hell to be killed by the likes of you."

"We talking or fighting, dog?" Asha asked not in the mood for witty banter.

"She's right Rahzar. You do talk too much when it's clearly time to kill," Tiger Claw said leaping to attack.

Asha blocked the first attack. Many days and nights spent sparring with her uncle while they were both shifted, had prepared her for the unpredictable attack of other werecats. Tiger Claw was formidable however, and his personal arsenal of weapons had her concerned. She wasn't bulletproof like her turtle friends.

Tiger Claw had yet to draw his guns. He was wielding his machete with the ease and confidence on one who'd long since mastered and loved the weapon. For every strike Asha had a counter. He was very agile, but Asha noticed his missing tail. It prevented him from making sudden changes in direction, and she used it to her advantage. She switched styles from traditional bo staff, to monkey's staff and that had the tiger on his heels.

Her attacks were fast and relentless. Multiple times she used the staff as a pole vault, climbing it, then jumping from it with a series of kicks, then finally bringing it down with a dull sickening crack on Tiger Claws forearm. She was going for his head, but this would have to do.

In the background Hun was trying to make a getaway before being cornered by Rahzar. Hun put up a good fight for a human, but it was quick work. Razhar's long clawed fingers impaled Hun, as he slowly killed him. The fury in Hun's eyes was unmistakable but useless. Razhar then turned his attention to the two cats fighting. He figured Tiger Claw needed a little help and so went to join the fray.

Suddenly, she was at a major disadvantage. Tiger Claw was more than enough to deal with, then Rahzar joined in. He raked her back with his claws drawing copious amounts of blood from her as it came pouring from her back. She went to one knee, but then jumped out of the way just in time as Tiger Claw came down with a machete strike aimed for her head. Asha got to her feet and backed up keeping them both in her line of sight and in front of her.

"You shouldn't have come here girl. You'll die in this warehouse and no one will mourn you." Rahzar growled.

"Hmm, I did notice the suspicious absence of those pesky turtles," Tiger Claw said seeming for the first time to notice it. "Did you and your little turtle boyfriend have a lover's spat?" Tiger Claw mocked.

Asha growled dangerously.

"Oh Tiger Claw I think we must've hit a nerve," Rahzar laughed. Tiger Claw nodded once again showing his white long fangs.

"It's actually disgusting to think about." Tiger said wrinkling his top lip.

"You watch your mouth tiger!" Asha screamed. She was absolutely offended at her relationship being judged. It was absurd at a time like this, but she couldn't help it.

"Uh oh, hit another nerve," Rahzar said once again coming in for an attack.

Asha dodged his razor sharp claws, at the same time using her staff to block an attack from Tiger Claw. She swept a leg under him which he deftly dodged. Rahzar came in with another blow and just missed tearing her arm off in the process. He growled in frustration as she leaped out of his way, right into a machete that wedged itself into her staff.

She yanked her staff pulling the machete out of his hands. Asha took the machete and threw it at Rahzar but missed. He immediately grabbed a gun and let off a few rounds.

"Hey watch where you're shooting that damn thing!" Rahzar yelled.

"Just keep out of my way dog!" Tiger Claw yelled back.

Meanwhile, Asha had climbed back onto the ramparts. There she searched the bodies of her victims for their weapons. She found some shuriken. She didn't know how to throw them, but did anyway, missing both of them by a wide margin. She heard their laughter below her. She didn't want to retreat but felt like she had no choice. Making her way to the ladder leading to the skylight she looked around to find both Rahzar and Tiger Claw had followed her up. Quickly, she made her way to the rooftop followed close behind by her enemies.

"Nowhere to go is there? You're not getting away this time," Rahzar said as they both stalked towards her. Asha had no choice but to stand and fight.


	14. Chapter 14: Anarchy and Forgiveness

Tiger Claw and Rahzar crept in on either side of Asha. There was nowhere to run. Hopping rooftops wasn't going to help her when her enemies were as quick and agile as she was. She needed to think. No wild attacks would work in this situation. She would need to bring to bear everything her uncle taught her, and some stuff he hadn't to get out of this alive. She wasn't accustomed to being the prey, and she wasn't going to start now.

The bleeding from her back had slowed down, but it hadn't stopped. It burned and ached but she had to block it out. Or use it to fuel the attack. There was always that wasn't there? To use the negative and turn it into a positive? Asha thought about her second exile. How she had risked the lives of others for her own gain. Now she would atone for that by getting rid of her friend's enemies. They were still her family even if they'd ousted her. She still loved them, even Raph, nothing would change that.

Absently she rubbed the spot where Raph had slapped her. She didn't hate him, she wasn't even mad about it anymore. Maybe he owed her an apology, but then again maybe it was the other way around. She wouldn't have the opportunity to say goodbye, to say she was sorry for all her mistakes. Her mind turned to Leo, maybe for the last time. Did he know that despite everything she loved him more than life itself? Then she thought of Donnie. His bright brown inquisitive eyes. Always worrying after her, always showing his loyalty and his friendship. She was leaving her friends and her love behind, but she was going to make sure they had two less things to worry about when she did.

The fire lit inside of her. She stopped backpedaling and stood her ground, rising to her full height. Asha glanced around and saw fires spring up around the city, and heard the chaos and screams. So it had already begun. Fine. She eyed Tiger Claw and Rahzar, both of them wearing sadistic grins on their faces.

"Tiger Claw, I think this little kitty has finally accepted her fate. What do you think?" Rahzar asked mockingly.

"I think you still talk too much when it's time to kill," Tiger Claw said as he raced towards Asha gun raised.

Asha let loose her patented roar and ran towards Rahzar, leaping into the air just as shots rang out and echoed through the night.

* * *

Leonardo finally got up off the bed. He'd been sitting there quietly watching Mikey squirm while getting his shell sanded. Looked uncomfortable to say the least. Mikey claimed the vibration of the sander was tickling him. Go figure. Mikey was chattering on and on about comics, and tv shows and whatever else he could think of just to keep the silence at bay. Donnie and Leo were in contemplative calm after Leo had it out with Raph. Raph had finally made it to the dojo for a much needed workout to blow off some steam. April was still giving Donnie the silent treatment.

When Donnie was done, Mikey got up, gave them both a quick smile and headed towards the dojo where April was watching Raph. Leo and Donnie exchanged a quick glance and followed him out. They had to see how their fun loving brother was going to handle his first time being truly displeased with his girlfriend.

The dojo looked like a hurricane hit it. April was standing against the wall when Mikey went to stand next to her. Leo and Donnie came in later and the tension instantly became thick enough to slice with a katana. April shot Donnie a look. Donnie didn't even react, finding her behavior both hypocritical and childish. Leo stood with his arms crossed simultaneously watching Raph destroy the punching bag, and listening to what Mikey and April were going to say to each other. The thought suddenly sprung up in his mind that they were all world class nosy. He almost cracked a smile at the thought….almost.

"Angel cakes, can I talk to you for a minute," Mikey said then looked around at his brothers. Donnie wasn't even hiding the fact that he was listening. "Privately?"

"Sure," April shrugged, trying to be nonchalant but her cheeks began to flush anyway. They went to Mikey's room, closing the door behind them. He sat her on the bed and cupped her chin in his hand. At first he said nothing, just looked into her eyes.

"What happened?" Mikey asked her gently.

"Nothing much. Nothing you should worry about Mikey," she said shrugging again and struggling to meet his gaze. The gentle look he was giving her penetrated through her defenses more than Leo's piercing glare. Mikey just kept looking at her waiting for her to tell him what happened.

"Okay, so we got into a bit of an argument. I said some things I'm not particularly proud of, but it's only because I was so upset," April said, her own eyes shining as she finally looked directly at her lover. "When I saw how hurt you were. When I saw that crack down your shell I didn't know what to think. I flipped out. I didn't know if you were gonna be alright, and I just didn't know what to do." April said breaking down and embracing Mikey.

"Shh, shh, it's okay angel. It'll be alright," he said trying to comfort her. She pulled out of his arms to look him in the eyes once more.

"No, it's not alright. I said some pretty mean things and I don't know if she will forgive it or what. I don't even know if Leo will forgive me," she said as she wiped her tears with the heels of her hands. Mikey just continued to listen. He was sure whatever it was wasn't as bad as all that.

"I told her that I wish it was her by herself getting tortured instead of you. I told her that she wasn't good enough for Leo and never would be. I called her a whore and I blamed her for everything that happened to all of you," April began to cry again this time not just a few tears.

"Whoa. April why did you say those things?" He asked taken aback by what she'd just told him.

"I don't know why I said all that. I was just scared and I lashed out at the one person I felt I could, without a lot of blow back," she answered honestly. She looked up to see his brow furrowed as he nibbled his bottom lip.

"Did you mean any of it?" Mikey asked finally. April thought about it.

"Only the part about not liking how it all turned out. The other stuff was meant to tear her down. The worst part is I think I really succeeded in doing just that," she held her head in her hands as she spoke, crying again.

"I'm s-sorry Mikey. I'm so s-sorry. Please don't hate me," she said as once again Mikey embraced her, tighter this time. It was her biggest fear that he would view her differently after she'd told him what she said. She valued his opinion of her greatly, and knew that she dealt her image a blow in his eyes. He'd never been angry with her, or at least he never expressed it if he was. Even though he was holding her now, the look of disbelief on his face was enough to break her down. He couldn't believe his angel cakes could be so cruel, and really where had that come from? She'd never been one to be a mean girl, but she was sooo angry with Asha at the time.

A long while passed as Mikey allowed April to cry until she was done. He released her out of the hug, but wasn't quite done with her yet. He looked disappointed, and April almost broke back down, but held it together somehow.

"April, I know you were upset. That's the worse that you've seen me I think in a long time," Mikey said adjusting himself, clearly uncomfortable with even the thought of reprimanding anyone especially April, but knowing this needed to be said.

"But even so, you gotta understand that Asha, she's been through a lot. She's really a sweet person, and she would never try to hurt us. I mean, yeah she made a mistake but really even if she wasn't doing what she was, do you think Shredder would have passed up an opportunity to capture us?" April shook her head.

"He got us before one time, we just have to be more careful. You owe her an apology if we can even find where she went," Mikey said, noticing April's eyes get a little wider and then a bit concerned. "Donnie says she wasn't at home. We don't know where she went but Leo might have an idea. Speaking of him, you owe him an apology too dudette. He loves her a lot, like I love you," Mikey said wiping her remaining tears, and smoothing her hair.

"And I could never hate you," he smiled that 1000 watt smile and all was right in her world again. If Mikey forgave her, she would be just fine.

A few moments later Mikey opened his door, only to find Leo and Donnie sitting not too far away, suspiciously preoccupied with nothing. Mikey flashed a smile, he knew the deal. April lingered behind still sitting on Mikey's bed collecting herself. Donnie came and stood in the doorway.

"Go away Donnie," she mumbled, still sniffling.

"So that's how it is? We have a disagreement and now we don't speak to each other? Or should I say you're not speaking to me rather?" Donnie said watching her reaction. April turned her body. Donnie waited a while. Slowly she looked up at him and batted her pretty eyes. Then in one motion, she rushed and almost bowled him over with a hug.

"Sorry Donnie. I've been way out of line lately, especially with you. It's just that, when you said what you said I knew I had been acting an ass, and that you were right. I just didn't wanna face it. I'm so sorry Don. Can you forgive me?" April hugged him as tightly as she could. Donnie was her good friend. He'd helped her so many times with so many things, she couldn't even begin to list them all.

"Of course April, I could never stay mad at you," he said. She let him go and saw his gap toothed smile for the first time.

"What happened to your tooth?" She asked smiling but a little concerned.

"It got knocked loose when we were escaping. I went ahead and extracted it this morning. You like it?" He was nervous a bit about the reaction he'd get from his family.

"I think it's so adorable Donnie," April said smiling brightly and giving him a peck on the cheek. Donnie blushed and adjusted his glasses.

"Thanks," he said. Donnie turned her around to face Leo who was sitting with his back turned. "There's one more thing though," he gave her a reassuring smile and patted her shoulder. April took several deep breaths and walked over to where Leo was sitting. Any other time she would never be even slightly intimidated by any of them, but then again she had never dealt with a Leo whose anger was directed at her. That was something worth being scared about.

"Leo, may I speak with you for a bit?" April asked. Leo slowly turned around to face her, his eyes rooting her to the spot.

"Am I your brother?" The question threw her off, but she nodded.

"No, I need to hear you speak. Am I your brother?" Leo asked again.

"Y-yeah sure, you know you are Leo," April stammered, not sure where this was headed.

"Do you love me as your brother?" He asked again, his tone even and deceptively calm.

"You know I love you Leo. I love all of you," April answered, believing that she now understood his line of questioning, and it made her feel worse than if he'd simply yelled at her or insulted her.

"Do you believe that respect is included in love?"

"Well, I never thought of it like that, but I suppose it would have to be. You can't love people that you can't even bring yourself to respect." April said, feeling more ashamed as she stood before him.

"So why would you disrespect me by disrespecting someone I love? Who has been there for me, for us? Someone who has placed their lives on the line for us on more than one occasion? Yet you spoke to her as if you didn't know her, as if all those things don't matter? If for no other reason than out of respect for me, you should have held your emotions, and your tongue, in check," Leonardo was now standing in front of her. April didn't know what to do. It almost felt like the first time she saw them on the roof. He loomed, and then his hand was on her shoulder.

"We're a family April. Even Asha. I would no more tolerate disrespect for her than I would for you. You're my sister, and everyone makes mistakes," he sighed as he continued, absently stroking her hair much like Mikey had done minutes before. "Despite her exterior, Asha is soft-hearted. I have no doubt she would readily forgive you and let bygones be bygones," Leo said giving her a ghost of a smile and patting her shoulder. April felt relieved. He was obviously still furious, so this was as far as his words of forgiveness were going to go. April hung her head in shame. Leo lifted her chin.

"I'm sorry Leo. You know I would never hurt you on purpose. I respect the hell out of you, we all do. Trust me Donnie and Splinter gave me an earful about it," she said smiling sadly.

"Don't worry about it," Leo said.

She had turned to walk back towards the dojo when she suddenly faced Leo again, this time with worry etched across her features.

"What about you and Raph? I think he feels bad about what happened," she began but stopped when she saw Leo's once soft expression turn to stone. His jaw worked as anger built in his eyes. His muscles tensed and his eyes kept darting towards the dojo. It was as if he were willing himself not to march in there and fight.

"What about Raph? He put his hands on my woman, and I'm not about to let it go so easily," and with that he walked off, one hand on his bandaged side.

Leo went into his room and made as if to sit or lay down, and then chided himself. As far as they all knew Asha was missing. If he had to guess she was out there looking for a fight, perhaps finding one. There was only one place he could think of off the top of his head that she might go and that was Chinatown. They all knew a warehouse was there, but none of them knew the exact place. He made up his mind. He gathered his gear and did his best to put it on. His side screamed at him, but he ignored the pain. Hadn't she come to his rescue that night in Manhattan, broken ribs and all? No, he wouldn't leave her hanging.

Leo walked out of his room and was met by his whole family.

"Where are you going? You are in no condition to leave this lair Leonardo," Splinter pleaded. His voice was firm, but left room for protest and argument. Leo bowed stiffly to his father.

"I'm sorry sensei, but I need to find her. She's out there alone, rejected, and hurt," Leo said looking pointedly at Raphael as he spoke that last word. Raph had the good sense to cast his eyes down.

"At least take one of your brothers. I fear there is trouble brewing on the surface," Splinter said, a sad frustrated frown on his face. He grabbed Leo's arm in silent protest to this new development. This gave him serious pause. Leo didn't remember the last time he openly went against his father's wishes. He was reticent to do so now.

"Leo, please don't do this," Donnie walked up to his brother. "Trust me that I'm worried too, but even if she is in trouble, in your condition you run an extremely high risk of re-injury, reinfection, losing consciousness again, or death," Donnie begged, swallowing hard on those last two words. He had one of Leo's hands, and Splinter had the other. When it didn't seem that Leo would relent Donnie spoke up again, this time addressing his sensei.

"Master, may I have permission to leave and look for her? Raphael and I are the only two even slightly fit for travel," He said watching Leo and Raph's reactions. Predictably they both bristled.

"Absolutely not! He better not go anywhere near her," Leo demanded shooting death in Raph's direction.

"Not even to save her life, if that's indeed what it's come to?" Donnie asked. Leo seemed heavily conflicted as he continued to stare at Raph.

"I ain't goin'," Raph said as he stalked off again. An angry Donatello ran up to him and confronted him.

"You need to come with me Raphael," he said, adjusting his glasses but standing his ground before an increasingly angry Raphael.

"No. He don't want me getting close to her so fine. I told you I didn't care what happened to-" Raphael was cut short by a raging Leonardo. He'd ran into him like a runaway freight train. They tumbled to the ground in a heap of scaly muscles and carapace.

There was very little ninjutsu going on. It was more like an MMA brawl, as Leo got top mount and proceeded to ground and pound. Despite being able to easily defend himself against an ailing Leo, Raph was only blocking his attacks. Blow after blow landed on Raph's forearms as he guarded his face. His bite mark was bleeding anew through the bandage. Growing tired of getting hit, Raphael quickly turned the tables, grabbing Leo's arm in an arm bar. Leo howled in pain and frustration. Raph pushed him away with his foot, simultaneously rolling away and then jumping up to pin Leo's arms to his sides against the wall.

"Leo I said I was sorry! M'sorry! Okay?!" Raph's voice was strained with pinned up emotion. Everyone except Leo was watching in amazement as they thought they would witness a crying Raph. Leo's plastron heaved with his breathing, his eyes stormy. His expression was a hard mask of hurt, and as he looked into his brother's eyes he saw a hurt there as well.

"Why?"

"Because….I trusted her. We, trusted her. I just…I just felt betrayed. I..I," Raph was breathing heavily himself as the words tried to form. His eyes blinked rapidly as he attempted to get himself under control. Slowly he let Leo go, looking warily at his brother and ready to defend himself again should there be a round two.

"The truth Raphael," Leo said in a much calmer voice.

"She's so right for you Leo. April, she's so right for Mikey. I just… I didn't wanna lose my brother! Okay?!" Raph struggled and stepped back reeling from the revelations coming from his own lips. Did he really just sort of admit jealousy?

The anger that fueled Leo's actions a moment ago dissipated almost entirely. Instead of attacking his brother, Leo reached out to embrace him. Raph fought against it a while, and then relented.

"M'sorry," his voice muffled in Leo's shoulder.

"You're not gonna lose me Raph. I would never leave you. I love you. I love all of you too much to leave you," Leo said soothing Raph and wondering how he couldn't have seen his brother's anguish. Raph broke the hug first, looking around as he noticed Mikey had come in for a hug, and so had Donnie, making it a family affair.

"Lemme help. Lemme go with Donnie to look for her. I can do that much at least," Raphael said, replacing his emotion with his usual tough exterior although his voice betrayed him a little. Leo nodded.

"Be careful and please avoid fighting. I think she may be in Chinatown. She would have been looking for a fight to ease her pain. She's funny that way," Leo added as brothers got ready to go.

"No problem Leo, we're on it. We'll come back with her, don't worry," Donnie comforted Leo and gave him a quick nervous smile that was meant to be reassuring.

* * *

Raphael was the first to emerge from the manhole. Donnie was wondering why he was just standing there until he too emerged. They climbed to a nearby rooftop and gasped at the scene below. Before them the city seemed literally to be in flames. Sheer pandemonium met them as people ran to and fro being attacked, beaten, some maybe even murdered. The loud blaring of fire truck sirens pierced the night. The absence of law enforcement was both unnerving and painfully obvious as anarchy ruled the streets. Shredder had made his move, and the brothers felt powerless to stop him.


	15. Chapter 15: In Flames

The scene laid out before him was beautiful in its madness. Shredder looked out over the city and a wry smile crept its way to his face. Standing near him was Xever. Eric Sacks had reported that despite his mutated state, Stockman-fly had been monitoring the effects of the drugs they had administered to the purple dragon gang members. When they were instructed to kill, they did so in very creative ways. When they were instructed to destroy they did so without fail or question. The turtles were nowhere to be seen. More than likely they were still licking their wounds. It may be days before they were healthy enough to fight, but by then it would be too late. In fact, the way things were going it might be too late already.

The police chief was too afraid to go against Shredder, and Shredder had deployed some foot soldiers to the house of the mayor, just in case he decided to call in external help of the military variety. There would be no aid or rescue for the people this time. No police, no army, no turtles. All Oroku Saki had to do now was sit back and relax, but that was a foreign concept for him. Always his goal was two-fold; to have total control and domination, and to utterly destroy Splinter and the turtle freaks. The first part was nearly in hand, the second not so much. He would need to rectify that.

"Xever, take a few men and cruise around the city. I need you to sniff out where those turtles are, and if they've made an appearance tonight. If you find them, do not engage. Track them back to their filthy underground lair and then report to me their whereabouts," Shredder said turning to face Xever.

"Do not fail me in this or you will die. My victory is not complete until all of them are laying dead at my feet."

"Yes master Shredder," Xever said simply, suddenly feeling the weight of responsibility and the threat it carried more than ever since Karai had been killed.

Shredder gave his attention back to the ruins the city was becoming. Soon the people would be begging him to make it stop. He would promise them peace, and he would make it stop, and then they would live under the rule of the Foot or pay the consequences.

* * *

"So which way d'ya think she went?" Raph asked as he tried to ignore all the craziness happening below them and concentrate on the task at hand.

"I don't know, but I think we're about to find out," Donnie was using his scan to see if he could pick up a trail via CCTV connections. At the moment, many of them were down, but he was able to get footage from earlier in the day. His eyes lit up as he seemed to hit upon a lead.

"Bingo!" He shouted as he jumped to his feet. "I found where she went, or at least the exact direction she was headed. If my guess is correct, which it usually is, I believe I know exactly where this warehouse is, and thus where Asha is likely be," Donnie said already starting off before confirming whether or not Raph understood him.

The bullet missed her by a fraction of a second before she could land behind Rahzar.

"I told you to watch where the hell you're shooting that damn thing!" Rahzar screamed infuriated with Tiger Claw's supposed 'reckless' shooting.

"It's not my fault she's using you like a shield, idiot! Stay out of my way Rahzar or I swear I will shoot you on purpose and not lose a single afternoon's cat nap," Tiger Claw growled back in equal frustration.

Asha was staying behind Rahzar and indeed using him like a shield. She was attempting to get Tiger to shoot at her again, but he wouldn't bite. She needed a new plan. Using her staff like a spear she struck at the back of the werewolf's knees, buckling them but unfortunately not breaking them as she had hoped. He howled in pain trying to turn around and face her, but she was too fast. This time Tiger Claw did shoot at her. She ducked behind Rahzar again, and he got clipped in the shoulder thanks to her. A flesh wound only, but it got him worked up enough to charge the tiger himself.

"That's it Tiger, you're freaking dead meat!" Rahzar yelled charging Tiger Claw, but the cat was too fast and at this point he was purposely aiming and shooting at the mutant werewolf.

Asha took this opportunity to attack Tiger Claw, as she may not get another one as golden as this. Taking a running start, flanking the tiger she leaped into the air behind him delivering a devastating blow to his head. He sensed her coming but it was either block her or block the wolf, and Tiger Claw choose to try to spare himself a death blow from Rahzar. For the time being, Tiger Claw lay prone on the rooftop not moving. She couldn't tell if he was dead or not, and really hoped he was. However, the bigger issue was Rahzar. He was more powerful than the tiger had been, and she seriously wondered if his bones were laced in adamantium. She hadn't managed to break a single one, despite having landed plenty of bone crunching blows all over his body.

Seeing what had happened, his full attentions were now fixed on her, and she found herself searching for weak spots and not coming up with any. Aside from the deep cuts on her back, she was otherwise not seriously injured. She would have to use speed to her advantage. Going up against Rahzar blow for blow would maybe end worse than it had when she tried it against Rocksteady. Unlike the rhino, Rahzar wasn't stupid, although he did seem content to rely on his size and strength, rather than on the martial arts he so obviously knew. That was it, she thought. That was his weakness. He was so confident of the superiority of his prowess as a mutant, that he hadn't needed to make use of actual martial arts technique or form. Also in his anger he lost the little form he did use. He became wild in his fury, throwing his full weight behind each blow and not recovering quickly enough to deliver another one. There were only a few seconds of lag between each of his attacks but it would have to do.

Keeping him at staff's length would be a waste of her own energy. Rahzar was accustomed to his offensive assaults being more than enough to wear down his opponents defenses. Asha could not remain on defense only, or her fatigue would get her killed. As they say, the best defense is a good offense. To his surprise Asha charged him head-on, then feinted to one side or another randomly, not using her staff until she was close inside. One strike to the rib cage on the first pass. On the second pass, she delivered a strike to his hip and thought she heard the satisfying pop of a bone freeing itself from its joint.

She tried a third pass and this time Rahzar was not fooled. Before she could deliver any more blows he grabbed her in a bear hug and squeezed. Immediately she struggled to breathe as he continued to laugh while crushing the life out of her. She tried to strike his pressure points, but found that many of them either were no longer located in the same spot because of his unique body, or she found she couldn't apply the right pressure to be effective.

"I told you that you would die here didn't I?!" He growled satisfactorily. She struggled against him, but was starting to tire out quickly. Her mind was beginning to get fuzzy as little by little the oxygen supply was cut off from her brain.

_No,_ she thought_, it can't end like this._

Asha hunkered down in his arms. Under another situation one would have thought she intended to nuzzle his neck, but it was nothing so innocent as that. She squirmed until she could reach his neck with her mouth, and before he could redouble his efforts of squeezing her to death she bit his neck, doing a bit of her own crushing as she applied a terrible amount of force onto his windpipe. He gave out a surprised yelp, and then tried to crush harder, but struggling for his own breath loosened his grip. Asha dug her claws into his shoulders, and her hind claws into his stomach and held on.

Rahzar fell backwards in complete shock and consternation. How could she have turned the tables so unexpectedly? He reigned down blows on her back. They hurt, and she wondered if he would break her spine, but his hits grew steadily weaker as she held on for dear life. She applied more pressure. He was trying desperately to gasp for air, any air, but his windpipe was too constricted. In his desperation Rahzar stabbed her in the leg, plunging his claws deep. Still she held on. Asha tightened the death grip of her powerful jaws, finally feeling the vertebrae crack in his neck under the pressure. His arms went limp. Rahzar's eyes rolled to the back of his head as he struggled to keep consciousness.

From the edge of her vision she saw Tiger Claw start to move. So he wasn't dead after all, but he would at least have a concussion. Asha tightened her grip even more as she felt his trachea give underneath it. Her claws had dug deep gashes into his shoulders, and the steady kick of her feet had nearly disemboweled him. Rahzar had died an agonizing death, and Asha would not lose a wink of sleep over it.

* * *

It was a slow process picking their way across the rooftops. Many buildings had burned or were burning, and they had to take alternate routes several times. Some of them took the brothers far out of their way.

After what had to be two hours or more, they closed in on the location of the warehouse. This small section of Chinatown had been relatively untouched. Donnie was still leading the way, hopeful that Asha was here. It took them about ten minutes or so but they landed on the roof of the warehouse in question, and looked upon the mess strewn across it. Tiger Claw was laying there, twitching as if he were trying to come back to after being knocked out. Raph and Donnie stepped gingerly, dodging what could only be pools and puddles of blood. They rounded a structure on the roof to find the body of a very large mutant wolf or dog, and not too far away Asha was sitting with her back leaning against a random pile of bricks and other debris. She was holding her leg, but it was bleeding profusely streaming through her clawed fingers and pooling around her.

Donnie approached her first. He knelt down beside her. Asha lifted her eyes at first believing herself to be hallucinating or dreaming, but when he spoke to her she knew he was real. His calm, slightly high pitched voice made her smile a little. She thought she would never see hear it again. Raphael was aloof, not wanting to startle her just in case.

"Asha! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! Your leg!" Donnie cried already fussing over her and trying to lift her up.

"Raph help me. I believe her femoral artery has been cut. If we don't hurry she's going to bleed to death," Donnie was frantic now. Raph hesitated only a few seconds before bending down to help lift her. She didn't seem to notice or react to the fact that it was him helping her.

A low growl coming from Tiger Claw got their attention. They turned to regard him for a moment and then started to move. Asha tugged on Donnie's goggles grabbing his attention again and motioning towards the old exhaust pipe where her clothes were.

"My, clothes…..Donnie my clothes. Stop, bleeding…m-my clothes…" Asha was trying to get him to stop and get her clothing. At first he didn't understand and was going to ignore it as inane babble, but when she struggled and almost heaved herself out of his arms, he had to let her go. She dropped to the roof landing on her butt and struggled to get back to her feet. Donnie helped her up, and she hobbled towards the exhaust. Once there, she grabbed her clothes and proceeded to rip the arm off her hoodie. She was trying to tie her leg off, but couldn't get her hands to cooperate. Donnie snatched it from her and expertly tied her thigh off above the wounds. Meanwhile Raph spied her staff and grabbed it for her. When he tried to pick her up again she resisted.

"I can run," she said and took off. They ran for a while and then Donnie and Raph began to descend, heading for a manhole.

"No!" She yelled at them. They looked up at her confused. She seemed to be sniffing the air and scanning the nearby rooftops.

"Come on Asha we have no time to waste. We've gotta get you back to the lair ASAP," Donnie pleaded, but Asha wasn't listening. Instead she held her hand up motioning him both to silence and to come back up on the roof. Raph and Donnie looked at each other and climbed back up.

Asha's eyes were narrowed and her nose was in the air. It was twitching and so were her long whiskers. Raphael didn't think he would ever get used to her in this form. Asha the girl was pretty, but Asha the lion was not at all. It was scary enough to encounter a real lion, but to have this coming at you with anger and murderous intent, was something else entirely. There was nothing in her face to suggest she was or could ever be human. Her mouth was stained with blood and her lion's tongue shot out constantly in an attempt to lick it clean. Raph didn't think she was disgusting, but she was certainly horrifying.

Asha smelled fish. Over and above the pungent smell of the smoke of various things burning all at once, came the familiar funky odor that only belonged to Fishface. The darkness of the night, made even more so by the black smoke filling the air, did nothing to obstruct her vision. From at least four or five city blocks away, she saw the inhuman silhouette of a human sized fish, and several other people. They were being tracked, otherwise Xever would not have hesitated to engage them in a fight.

"We're not going back to the lair," she said and without further explanation went off in the direction of her apartment, hoping it was still in one piece.

"What do you mean we're not going back to the lair? We have to, all my supplies are there, and your leg…and Leo is waiting," that last part stopped her cold.

"Leo? He's awake?" She asked turning towards Donnie, relief softening her features a little.

"Yes, Asha and he's waiting for you," Donnie said stepping in closer. Her eyes shifted to Raph, her first time truly acknowledging he was even there.

"He knows about that too Asha. Please…" Donnie was going to plead his case again but Asha silenced him once more with a gesture.

"Fishface and foot soldiers. I smell them. They're tracking us, so we can't lead them back to the lair," she turned once again headed in the direction of her home. This time they didn't protest.

* * *

They crashed into her apartment. Thankfully her crappy neighborhood hadn't been touched. She limped her way to the recliner and flopped into it, tired beyond belief and in pain. Immediately Donnie went into the bathroom and saw all that he needed. She must have been preparing for stuff like this. He'd found a proper tourniquet, needles, thread, iodine, bandages and gauze. While he was in the bathroom, Raph stood on the other side of the small living room avoiding her eyes. When she heard Donnie coming back, she laid herself flat on her stomach on the floor.

His first order of business had been to stop the bleeding in her leg. Her clothes had kept her alive thus far, but it wasn't enough. He tied the tourniquet on, disinfected it, and began to suture the wounds there. He worked quietly, all the while she kept her eyes on Raphael. He was helping Donnie but refused to look at her. She thought he was still angry.

The disinfecting and suturing of her back hurt much worse than her leg, and Raph had to hand her a throw pillow from the recliner to muffle her cries. It proved difficult to clean and sew her through her fur so she was forced to shift right there on the floor. That hurt way worse than it should have. She was near to passing out from all the pain, but somehow managed to stay conscious. Raph was impressed by her toughness, but then he had always been impressed with that. It was one of the things he liked about her, and he suddenly felt very ashamed of having struck her. The full gravity of what he had done washing over him as he observed the purple bruise that still marked her cheek.

Once Donnie was finished, they helped her get up and go to the bathroom. For the first time, they both noticed that the shift left her naked. Raph quickly averted his eyes, and Donnie did too but not before he gazed upon all that he dared to before it became obvious and inappropriate. She sat on the edge of the tub, a big towel wrapped around her for modesty sake. She ran the water hot but kept it shallow as she kneeled into it. The brothers had left her in their out of respect for her undressed state, but she really needed help to wash her tender back. She desperately wanted Leo here to help her, then a smile touched her lips. He was alive and he was waiting for her. Abruptly there was a knock on the door.

"Need any assistance in there?" Donnie asked from the other side. She knew it was a mistake, but she did really need help. She didn't think Raph would do it, so she called Donnie into the bathroom.

"I need help with my back. I'm scared to run water on it. Just do the best you can, and if I squirm away just ignore it," Asha said not daring to look Don directly in the face. She couldn't take the look she thought she might find there. One of relief, mixed with love, and longing.

"Sure thing," Donnie said kneeling in the tight space as best he could. He gently proceeded to dab her back with the washcloth, careful not to touch the lacerations directly. She winced a bit but otherwise kept still. Looking at wounds he felt anger start to boil inside. If that mutant hadn't already been killed, he would have taken pleasure in the act himself.

She was hunched over, careful to reveal her back and only her back to him. His cleansing strokes became softer, slower. Asha's head was turned away from him. Donnie's hand gently grasped her shoulder as he slowly began to caress it, the other hand still cleaning her. He let the towel fall into the water as he used that hand now to caress her curly untamed hair, his other hand was still gently massaging her shoulder. Her face was still turned away as her body went rigid. Her eyes became wide as she felt the heat rise in her cheeks.

Keeping her breasts covered with one arm, she reached with the other hand and grabbed the hand that was on her shoulder. She turned her head to meet his gaze, his face only a few inches from hers. His eyes searched hers for the answers to unasked questions, and she was trying to give them to him. Slowly as if in a dream he leaned in a little further, longing to kiss her. She was still holding his hand in her own, making small circles in his palm with her lithe fingers. His lips hovered dangerously close to hers, the heat between them palpable. At the last possible moment, instead of allowing her lips to touch his, she placed her forehead on his and sighed heavily.

"Donnie…"

It was the only thing she said. It didn't mean much, and it meant the whole world. Everything that was left unsaid became very clear for him. He had almost done the unthinkable. Not only had he almost betrayed his brother's trust behind his back, but he had also almost sacrificed both his and her honor in the process, as well as irrevocably crossing the line in the sand of their friendship.

_Donnie_

That one word. It told him all that could never be, and all that could have been had things gone just a little differently. Had Leonardo kept up his hurtful charade ignoring her, she would have been his. The look in her eyes told him so. He was by turns filled with a selfish validation and sorrow at the thought. The sudden need to sweep her up into his arms and love her overwhelmed him. His mind calculated all the percentages, all the probabilities. If he applied himself he could have her, but every equation ended the same. In the hurt and betrayal of his brother, the tearing of the fabric of his family, the upset of the comfortable balance they had all achieved.

Her fingers delicately grazed his cheek as she pulled back from him. Her eyes were shining. Donatello readjusted his glasses needlessly and began to lift himself from his kneeling position, all of a sudden feeling the awkwardness of his body in the confined space.

"I'm s-s-sorry Asha, I didn't mean to…" he stammered but couldn't finish. What hadn't he meant to do? He couldn't even say.

"Don't be," she said simply before lowering her eyes. She seemed to be searching for something to say, but couldn't find anything. Instead she looked at him with her beautiful almond shaped amber eyes. She looked at him and then looked through him. Her small smile eased his heart. They would remain friends. He hadn't made things so weird between them. They now understood the boundaries and made a silent vow never to cross them. With a nervous smile Donnie left the bathroom completely flustered, but also with a strange sensation of contentment. He leaned against the wall just outside the bathroom and closed his eyes, ignoring the suspicious gaze of his older brother. If he could only have her as a friend, then he would be happy with that, as long as he had her. If what they had was genuine, platonic as it was, as it had to remain, then he could most certainly live with that.


	16. Chapter 16: Shredder's Gambit

All three of them sat in the darkness of the cramped living room. Only Asha was privy to the reason why. None of them spoke more than a few words. They looked around suspiciously each time they heard any sound that seemed out of place. At the moment, all the sounds seemed out of place as the carnage happening throughout the city seemed to die down.

"So why aren't we leaving yet? What're we waitin' around here for?" Raph was asking no one in particular.

"We're waiting on Fishface to show up…if he shows up at all. I smelled him and saw him while we were on the roof. He couldn't have been up to anything other than trying to track us," Asha answered picking at the peanut butter and crackers she had on a paper plate. It was all the food she had in the whole apartment, and she was the only one eating it.

"Well he ain't showed up yet so maybe he didn't see which way we went. For all the time we spent sitting in here, we could've been in the lair already," Raph said speaking directly to her for the first time since they met up with her.

Asha put her crackers down and just looked at him. They locked eyes. Donnie tensed, not knowing if they would start arguing, and thinking now was certainly not the time to do it. Slowly Asha scooted towards the recliner he was sitting in. Gradually Raph began to bounce one knee, his nerves making a rare appearance. He crossed his arms defensively but otherwise made no move to get up or stop her from advancing.

She got to her knees in front of him, then grabbed one of his hands, the same one he'd used to slap her with. She could feel him trying to inch it back. Asha tightened her grip on his index finger. His eyes shifted around, begging Donnie for a lifeline and not getting anything from him. Asha had both of her hands clasped over Raph's, she looked up at him solemnly.

"I am so, so sorry Raphael. Sorry that I got you and your brothers tangled in my horrible mess. Please forgive me. Please don't be mad at me," her voice was shaky with emotion. An almost pained expression crossed Raphael's face as he abruptly stood up yanking his hand from hers. She fell onto her back and winced in pain. Donnie hurried to cradle her in his arms, all the while shooting darts in Raph's direction. Raphael's eyes widened at the fact that again he was causing her physical pain.

"How could you?!" He aid putting both his hands on his head in frustration. She just silently watched him pace the floor. Donnie had fixed his mouth to interrupt until Raph spoke again.

"Why would you sit here and apologize to me after….after what I did?" Raph continued to pace. Donnie could barely believe his own ears. Was this a Raphael apology? An admission of guilt, or better yet accountability for wrongdoing? Raphael turned to her, his chest heaving with anger perhaps. She didn't really know.

"I hit you. You're Leo's girl and I hit you. You're supposed to be my friend but I hit you anyway. I…I fucked up. I was angry with you, was fucking pissed at you, but I shouldn'ta…I shouldn'ta…" Asha rose to her feet and went towards him. He pulled away but she insisted on grabbing his arm and putting it around her, as she did her best to hold him. Asha rested her head on his plastron. Reluctantly he encircled her in his massive arms and rested his head on top of hers. In the darkness the stayed like that, until Raph broke the hug. He had a rep to keep up.

"Alright, alright Whiskas get offa me," he said giving her a wry smile and messing her hair. "You know I'm allergic to cat fur."

"Whatever, not even a cat right now meathead," she said smiling and playfully whacking him on his plastron.

In the distance, that wasn't in the distance enough they all heard an explosion. Instinctively Raphael held Asha closer, trying to protect her. When nothing happened, he let her go and turned to Donnie, his green eyes flashing even in the gloom of the apartment.

"I think that might be our cue to hustle guys," Donnie said getting to his feet.

"Yeah, I think you're right. Let's go. Asha are all your things packed up? We ain't coming back here so get everything ya need," Raph instructed. He looked out of the window trying to peer into the pitch black of the night and not seeing anything different. Asha brought out a mid-sized duffel bag and another oddly shaped bag with the word 'X-Pole' stamped on the front. She quickly loosened the pole and broke it down into its component parts and loaded it into the waiting bag. Donnie and Raph looked on, wondering where she thought she was gonna put that thing, and wondering why she didn't just leave it. Catching the looks on their faces she shrugged.

"This thing cost me $400, and they won't exactly ship it to an anonymous sewer if I should want another one. Which reminds me," she said digging into her pants pocket and pulling out a crumpled wad of money. She handed it to Donnie who seemed confused and was refusing to take it.

"Asha what is this? I don't need any money," he said not understanding why she'd give it to him.

"Listen, I know you lost a bunch of your stuff when I got you- when we got captured. This'll replace a good deal of it so you won't have to scavenge each part. I guess it's about two, three thousand dollars. It would mean a lot to me if you took it," she said almost shoving it at him. He hesitated but then shyly accepted the cash. A big smile spread on her face.

"Ok now we can go," she said heading for the door with two turtles in tow.

* * *

Xever and his small group had seen neither hide nor hair of their enemies, but had come upon the havoc on the warehouse roof. Tiger Claw was rubbing his head and trying to remember what happened when Xever showed up. He felt the crust of a large scab on his scalp and winced. It was still very tender.

"What's the matter with you? Got the shit kicked out of you, didn't you?" Xever said, his face spread into a repulsive grin as he stepped in front of a groggy Tiger Claw.

"Shut up, before I eat you," Tiger Claw threatened. The smile on Xever's face faltered.

"Anyway, what are you doing here?" Tiger Claw asked, getting himself together and standing up straight. He had to regain some kind of dignity.

"Shredder sent me to look for the turtles, or at least find out if they are running around the city. So far nothing, but I refuse to go back empty handed," Xever said. Tiger Claw rolled his eyes.

"You mean you were threatened not to come back empty handed." Xever shot him a look.

"You were told to kill that lion girl and you still haven't managed to do that! Is that who kicked your ass? I bet it was," Xever said gloating. Tiger Claw growled menacingly. Xever jerked his fin over his sloped shoulder towards where Rahzar lay dead.

"She do that all by herself?" He asked genuinely curious as to the answer. Tiger Claw half nodded and half shrugged.

"Hmm, you wouldn't know because you were knocked on your ass. A hell of a fighter if she could take you both on and kill one of you. Rahzar was no joke," Xever said looking impressed.

"Heh, she got a little lucky. You know he couldn't keep his focus. The fool jumped me. He kept getting in my way while I was shooting at the girl," Tiger Claw explained. Xever nodded in complete understanding. It wasn't hard to imagine the scene that took place here. Maybe she did get lucky, but that was the second mutant she had killed. If they didn't watch it, she was gonna have a rep as a mutant killer soon.

"Well, if your pride isn't hurt too badly you can come with me, help me find her and the turtles. There's no sense in us returning to Shredder with tasks unfulfilled. The mood he's been in lately, he's likely to kill us on sight." Xever, Tiger Claw, and the foot soldiers left the warehouse. Wherever Asha had gone, she clearly wasn't still there. All the smoke in the air joined by the customary smog proved too much for Tiger Claw's sense of smell. They had no choice but to search blindly.

* * *

Leonardo was sitting on the couch letting the television watch him when he heard the familiar creak of the turnstiles. He stood, at first seeing only his brothers when Asha peeked from around them. She set her bags down moving slowly towards him. He was up and he was looking so much better than the last time she'd seen him.

"Asha," Leo said and spread his arms.

She ran towards him almost tackling him with a hug. He lifted her, although she frowned at that not believing he should exert himself that way. Her frown disappeared when he looked into her eyes, and then kissed her with urgency, forgetting for a moment that he was surrounded by his family including his father.

Suddenly aware of the fact that they were in the middle of the common area, Leo put Asha down as they both turned an alarming shade of red.

"Sorry sensei," Leo was saying, but Splinter waved his hand dismissively.

"I hate to break up this little reunion or whatnot, but sensei there's more than a little trouble up top. It looks like a bomb went off. There's fires everywhere, no police, no nothin'. Shredder has officially lost his mind," Raph said, changing the mood.

Splinter stroked his beard. "This is more than a little distressing Raphael. It is important that we all seem to have overcome our familial differences. We will need each other more than ever in the face of this threat."

Mikey went to the television to change to the news. Instantly images of a burning New York filled the screen. News crews were trying to report live, but were being ran off the air by thugs and random outbreaks of violence. Asha's eyes turned glassy. Images of the mutant she killed and the children she came close to killing, the fear on their little faces, jumbled together in her mind like a sick collage. She swayed on her feet then fell to her knees in front of the TV, barely registering the pain in her thigh when she hit the floor. Leo was suddenly by her side, gently lifting her up by her shoulders to the couch behind her. She started to rock and hold herself.

"It was a red curtain," Asha said, the room falling into an eerie silence. "Nothing but killing, and death, and murder, and mayhem, and destruction filled me from top to bottom. Like an out of body experience." A shiver traveled all over her body.

"So, I hate to sound like Raph but why don't we just find where Shredder is and kick his teeth in? Can't be that hard. Wait, does anyone know if he even has teeth? I swear he might not even have a mouth under that thing," Mikey said, seeming to really try to consider the possibility of a mouthless Shredder.

"It isn't that simple Mikey. From what I'm seeing here, even if we physically get rid of him, the things he has set in motion will continue to cause damage. Who's to say it would even stop the plan at all," Leo mused. His brows furrowed deeply at the long reaching effects of Shredder's plans.

"When I went to Chinatown today, I overheard those mutants and the leader of the purple dragons arguing," Asha chimed in. "They infused the drug with something, I don't know what. Whatever it was, Hun, the purple dragon guy, was pissed to high heaven about it. There's still some of that drug in that warehouse if they didn't remove it."

"Hmm, perhaps we should salvage some of it. If I can deconstruct it, I may be able to create its cure," Donnie said sitting down. Asha shook her head.

"I don't think we should waste time with that drug Donnie. Something tells me it's not as important as we wanna think it is," Asha said, still staring at the television but trying to pry her eyes from it as well.

"How could it not be important? Look at what it's making people do?" Donnie protested.

"What's missing guys? April said focusing on the screen. Everyone sat quietly for a moment.

"No police, but we already know that," Donnie said trying not to sound exasperated.

"Yes Donnie, but why aren't there? We know people had to be dialing 911 off the freaking hook with all this mess going on," April said. She was holding on to Mikey in turns entranced by the images on the screen, and burying her face in Mikey's arm to escape them.

"The police chief. Guys, the police chief!" Asha jumped up suddenly. "Remember when I told ya'll about him coming in there, and those two Japanese women were really Foot ninjas?"

Everyone nodded. Splinter, Leo, and Donnie closed their eyes in unison, realization of the truth dawning on them at once.

"He had to have gotten to chief Sterns that night. Either a bribe or a threat, my guess a heavy threat to keep the entire police department at bay," Asha said, still thinking. There was a piece of the puzzle still missing.

"Ain't the military s'posed to be stopping stuff like this? Where the hell are they?" Raph asked annoyed at the fact that shit was most obviously going down, and they weren't out there putting a stop to it. He was leaning against the wall behind the couch, arms crossed at his chest.

"Martial law," Donnie almost whispered it, eyes huge behind his glasses.

"Huh? Marshal Law, like from the Tekken game? Dude, he's not even real. Though he would make a kick-ass honorary member of the group though" Mikey asked, thinking about how cool that would actually be.

"Not a person Mikey, a thing. Martial Law is what this is about. Raph pointed out something very important. In a situation such as this, the military would be out in full force. The anarchy is city-wide, so no police department even with the aid of the SWAT would be able to combat this. The armed forces would have had to be called in. It's up to the mayor of a city, or governor of a state, or even congress to declare martial law. Under these circumstances, I am 99.999998% certain that the mayor would have alerted outside authorities of the current situation. The fact that there is no military presence in absence of the local law enforcement, only reinforces the fact that the mayor has also been compromised in some way," Donnie took a deep breath and continued.

"Asha is correct, the chaos is but an elaborate smokescreen. There will be martial law, but not any sanctioned by the government. This will be sanctioned by the Foot Clan. That is his endgame. Under such strict military rule, Shredder will take practical control of this city. I have no doubt federal authorities will be notified of the emergency, but it would take no less than actual warfare in the very streets of this city to essentially overthrow Shredder. The American government will not be so ready to wage war on its own soil, against its own civil population. He could hold this power indefinitely. Bureaucratic red tape alone would be enough to buy him the time he would need to amass an opposing force of his own. The political implications of this move are extremely serious, and that's a severe understatement." Donnie fell silent.

An audible groan came from everyone in the room in unison. It seemed hopeless. Finally, Leonardo spoke up.

"If Donatello is right, and I've never had a reason to doubt him, then this needs to be a surgical strike at the heart of the Foot," he said noting the murmurs of agreement and nods all around.

"Brute force won't be enough, and we can't wait for the human legal and law enforcement agencies to eradicate this threat. The first thing we need to do is get rid of his tools. Can't build a house without the hammers," Leo said. Everyone turned to him with a confused look.

"What? Dude, what does that even mean? I'm gonna need a full definition before I agree to whatever you just said," Mikey teased, a lopsided grin spreading on his face. Leo shot him a look, which earned him a raspberry, and a giggle from everybody else.

"Anyway, you know what I mean. We may need to get our hands on those drugs, or better yet simply destroy the supply. That way this widespread carnage he's got going on can be stifled," Leo said, getting everyone back focused.

"Well, we know one stash is at the warehouse, but that couldn't possibly be all of it," Donnie said, feeling more defeated the more they discussed it. The probability for failure was growing, the more the odds stacked against them. His shoulders slumped.

"That hell hole in Brooklyn I bet is stacked to the freaking ceiling with it," Asha said. Her eyes brightened when she recalled the strange room in the facility. "I think we can deal a pretty good blow if we destroyed that place. They seemed to be running quite a few projects of great importance to them there. I say we blow it to kingdom come," she looked over to Donnie, their resident pyromaniac. A smile gradually made its way to his face. He slowly began to nod.

"Mm hm, we ain't in no shape to go out there and meet sh- I mean stuff head on. When was the last time a plan of ours went off without a hitch, I'll wait," Raph said waiting on the response. His brothers and even April hung their head in shame, each muttering their own excuses. "Just as I thought."

"Well, I won't be ready to go for at least another day. With a good night's rest, my healing will kick into overdrive. I should be good within the next 24 hours," Leo said.

"I'll go. Let me, Donnie, and Raph go. I figure we got what it takes to blow up a building or two," Asha volunteered. Leo immediately balked against that idea.

"No. All or nothing. It's way too dangerous for us not to head out full strength. Plus you don't make it a habit of accompanying us on our missions, so you're not quite in tune with us as you'd need to be," he said to Asha, trying to let her down without making her feel bad. She seemed to understand as she nodded and sat back, curling herself next to him. He took a few seconds to enjoy that feeling.

"Touché," she said simply and left it at that.

"So please don't tell me that after all that, the plan is to do nothing?" Raph said looking directly at Leo. "That's the plan from our fearless leader, eh? Sit here on our butts and wait on Shredder to send us a formal invitation I suppose right?"

Donatello rolled his eyes. Leo face palmed before speaking in measured tones.

"Raphael, we're going to stop him, but we can't just run into wherever he is and start a fight. We have to be smart about this. We have to have a plan, and we need to be able to fight. Those are two things we lack at the moment." Leo said, turning to face his agitated brother, already knowing this was a losing battle.

In a huff Raphael went to his favorite place. That punching bag was in for it for the umpteenth time.

* * *

Leo led Asha to his room to turn in for the night. As soon as he closed the door, she carefully pulled her shirt over her head. She had her back turned to him. Four long, deep, and stitched scars covered the length of her back. Apparently Donnie had sewn the wounds closed, and tried to apply bandages, but it wasn't enough. Little trickles of blood were beading around the stitches. Asha bent down to take off her pants, and he noticed another tightly wound gauze on her upper thigh. Bruises of all different colors and sizes, and cuts and lacerations of every description littered her otherwise perfect body. His heart sunk looking at that. Someone had done this to his girl, his woman.

Only when she turned to face him did he realize she was standing before him practically naked, with nothing more on than her underwear. Her large, round breasts hung freely, just about the only part of her not marked. Weariness settled on her face as she smiled up at him. She walked up to him and put her arms around him the best she could. He tried to ignore the warmth and softness of her breasts on his plastron, and found that he couldn't. She gave him a peck on the cheek and turned to lay in the bed. She stopped short, rethinking not having on a shirt. She didn't want to bloody his bedding, so she put her shirt back on. Leo tried not to verbally protest her covering herself. She unceremoniously crawled into his bed. He started to head out of the room, maybe sleep on the couch. Asha turned to look at him over her shoulder.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" She asked in a firm tone.

"Uh, the couch?" It came out as a question. Asha looked at him until he became uncomfortable.

"Leonardo,"

"Yeah?"

"Get your big green ass in this bed and cuddle me dammit," she said, then cracked a smile and winked. He didn't have to be told twice. Eagerly he crawled in behind her and spooned. He wanted to kind of fool around, but found he was too sleepy.


	17. Chapter 17: Detonation

He trailed a hand along his brother's side. This was going to be good. Raphael twitched, but otherwise didn't move.

"Oh Raph, you're so big and strooong," Mikey cooed in Raph's ear doing his best girl voice impression.

Raph just grunted in response trying to get away from whatever was touching him. Mikey could barely contain a giggle as he traced Raph's bicep this time.

"Oh Raph, pleeeaase," this time whispering it in his ear. Raph swatted and turned onto his back, making the hammock swing.

"Go 'way," Raph grunted in his sleep. Mikey couldn't hardly hold it in anymore. This was rich and he wished he had a camera to record this. He whipped out a long feather and started tracing Raph's arms again. This time Raph reacted.

"Stooop," he grumbled, still sleeping. "Not tonight. Jus' go 'way," he said. Suddenly his heavy hand fell onto Mikey's head, and stayed there. Ok, this was getting into Weirdville, big time. Mikey tried to get up, but found that Raph was putting more and more pressure on the back of his head.

"Aight, jus' one more time…April" Raph grumbled again, this time applying even more pressure to Mikey's head. In abject horror, Mikey realized his head was being pushed to Raph's disgusting nether regions. Mikey started scrambling, and why the hell did he say April's name?! What was up with that?!

"Hey, Raph it's me man, wake up dude," Mikey said getting frantic now. He was almost to the rim of Raph's shorts. He had to get out of this. Mikey knew that if any part of his body touched those shorts, he would never be clean again. Mikey started thrashing a little, perturbed by the fact that he couldn't get out of Raph's hold even in his sleep. He was gonna have to pump some serious iron after this, this was ridiculous.

"April, stop squirmin'," Raph grumbled again. Mikey paused. Since when did Raph talk coherently in his sleep? Mikey twisted around to get a look at Raph's face. His green eyes were narrowed, a sly grin on his face as he gripped Mikey even tighter and twisted him into a headlock. Mikey was stunned. Even in the headlock he was laughing both in surprise and a bit of awe.

"Oh man bro, you pranked the prank! I can't believe it, OW!" Mikey was trying to get out of the hold, and laughing hysterically the entire time.

"This is what ya get for playin' games you little twerp," Raph squeezed his biceps and gave Mikey a vicious knuckle sandwich.

"Alrightalrightalrightalright, I'm sorry, I'll never do it again I swear it!" Mikey yelled still squirming. Finally Raphael let him go, falling back on the hammock and snorting his own laughter.

"Now get out of here squirt, before I hurt ya for real," Mikey scrambled out just in time to dodge a pillow Raph had thrown at him.

Mikey ran out and passed the workout room, and then doubled back. Donatello was in there, which was rare for him, and he was putting up some kind of equipment Mikey had never seen before.

"Whatcha doin'?" Mikey asked walking towards Donnie. As he got closer he saw it was some kind of pole.

"I'm putting up this pole for Asha. She says she works out on it, so I just wanted to have it ready whenever she wanted to use it," Donnie said, twisting the large bolt at the top. "I thought I would need real tools, but it seems to be a better take on a tension rod. All I had to do was tighten this up, and voila." He gave it a shake or two to see if it was sturdy. It didn't seem to be moving.

"This is so cool. Does this mean she's gonna strip for us from now on?" Mikey asked taking a test spin of his own on the pole. Donnie gave him a blank look.

"Now I think I understand why Raph calls you numb nuts all the time," Donnie said, still watching Mikey. Mikey stopped spinning around on the pole and looked at Donnie with a look of mock hurt.

"Donnie I am offensive! You just now figured out why he calls me numb nuts? Geez, maybe I should prank you more often," Mikey said with a wave of his hand, and twirled himself around the pole again. Donatello rolled his eyes.

"I think you meant to say that you were offended, not offensive. Although the latter applies more often than I care to acknowledge," said Donnie smiling. Mikey always made him smile in spite of whatever was going on.

"Morning guys," April chimed, standing in the doorway in her pajamas and eating a bowl of cereal. "Whatcha doin'?" Mikey was really starting to rub off on her.

"Donnie put up Asha's pole, and now she's gonna strip for us every day on it," Mikey said, having the time of his life still swinging around the pole.

"Is that so? Well I know one mutant ninja turtle she's not gonna strip for," April said marching over to Mikey, and frowning up at the pole.

"Oh, who is that?" Mikey asked oblivious to April's remark.

"Seriously? I need to spell that out for you? And why would she agree to strip for all of you every day? What's that all about?" April asked truly confused.

"It's all about Mikey's imagination. Asha agreed to no such thing," Donnie told April. She nodded, figuring as much.

"She did too agree to it….oh wait, that was a dream I think," Mikey was still oblivious, this time to how red April's face was becoming.

"You dream about her?" The realization of the past few minutes of conversation dawned on his face. He blushed hard and started to back away from an advancing April.

"Uh, n-n-no. What makes you think I dream about her? Nobody would dream about her, she's disgusting angel cakes," he said, closing his eyes against the words tumbling recklessly from his lips. His brain told him to stop digging this hole, but his mouth wouldn't listen.

"So she's disgusting to you now? Is that why you dream about your brother's girlfriend?" April walked right up on Mikey who had backed himself into a corner, literally and figuratively.

"Y-yeah, I mean NO!" He shook his head so hard she thought it was gonna fall off his shoulders. Then she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Maybe I should give you something else to dream about then?" She said, smiling at how his expression changed. It went from terrified to dreamy in a matter of seconds. It was funny as hell to watch it happen. Behind them Donatello's snorting laughter could be heard, as he was bent over holding his plastron and laughing loudly. She turned and left the room patting Donnie's shell as she passed him.

"Works every time no matter what," she said leaving to get dressed for the day. Donnie straightened himself up and left Mikey to the pole, as he once again started playing on it. He headed towards his lab to find Leo coming out of it with a handful of bandages and peroxide. He was going to tend to Asha's back, something Donnie himself was hoping he'd get the chance to do. He started to offer that up knowing that his brother would allow it, but Leo had given him a 'good morning' and disappeared into his room.

It was just as well. He needed to get started creating some bombs to blow up that warehouse and that laboratory. It was going to take all day if he was going to do it by himself.

Leonardo laid all the stuff out on a small table he placed beside the bed. Asha was laying there with her shirt off, regrettably on her stomach, waiting patiently for him to change her bandages. He had checked and removed his own in the bathroom this morning. His wound on the side was healed, although the stitches running along the scar remained. Asha didn't heal quite as fast, although as he tenderly removed the dressings, the wounds seemed to be mending already and bleeding a lot less.

"How are you feeling this morning Asha?" He asked, his voice taking on that calm measured tone he used to soothe his brothers.

"Better than yesterday. Had to fight Tiger Claw and Rahzar," she said tsking. "They were tagging my ass something fierce, I know that. I barely got out of there," she said chuckling a bit, but of course Leo didn't think it was all that funny.

"Why did you do that? Why did you go looking for a fight? You could've been killed. I don't like you taking unnecessary risks like that, and you know that already," he said pouring a bit of hydrogen peroxide on her back, and thinking this was a bad idea to do on his bed. She sucked in a breath at the sudden cold of the liquid.

"Yeah I do know that already, now we can drop it," she said a little more curtly than she meant to. He stopped dabbing her back for a second.

"Ok Raphael number two, we'll drop it," he said and she could hear the smile in his voice. "Speaking of him, did he apologize to you?" He asked, his tone a bit more serious.

"Yes he did, rather sweetly in fact. Then he told me to get off him because he's allergic to cat fur," she chuckled again. Leo didn't say much, just resumed tending to her back. This wasn't gonna continue on her watch. She twisted around lifting herself on one elbow, turning to look Leo in the face. His brow ridge was furrowed in too much concentration.

"Forgive him."

"Mm hmm."

"Forgive him Leo."

"I did already," he said quietly. He'd finished disinfecting the cuts, and was now dressing them again. He finished it quickly, then looked at her. She was still studying his face for any signs of resistance or protest. Finding none, she turned herself back around and rested her chin on her crossed arms. She felt the bed shift as Leo got up throwing away the old bandages.

"Could you hand me my shirt please? It's time for me to get up," she asked eyeing him and admiring his body. He only had on the shorts he slept in. He looked back at her, a little grin curling the corners of his mouth.

"I could toss it to you, but you might wanna sit up to catch it," he said bending to pick it up off the floor. She had thrown it halfway across the room for whatever reason. A smile forming on her own lips, Asha rose to a kneeling position on the bed. Once again, without a bra Leo was given a full view.

He was enjoying that view as well. She was honey colored and muscular, firm breasts, and sculpted abs, complete with Adonis belt. He'd always been envious of that, seeing as how his abdominal region was covered with plates instead of muscle. He licked his lips and finally tossed her shirt to her. She put it on slowly while maintaining eye contact.

"What am I going to do with you Asha?" He shook his head smiling.

"If we could ever get some time without a damn crisis breaking out, you might be able to come up with a few things to do with me," she said winking at him, and then giving him a couple of once overs, more like twice overs really. He smiled even harder and left the room, eager to get a workout in.

The rest of the day was spent in preparation for the night's activities.

* * *

They had all decided to take the Shell Raiser. The city was in too bad of shambles and there was too much going on to go by rooftop. Shredder hadn't waited for nightfall, before the second wave of attacks crippled the city. Unfortunately, the turtles did have to wait until night to venture out into the anarchy taking place. It was much worse than the news channels were able to depict. It really did look like a bomb had gone off all across every borough. There were fires everywhere, and in some parts of the city there were bodies literally in the streets. It was like a war zone, no it _was_ a war zone. At first they were speaking in hushed but excited tones to each other, but as they moved through the city taking in the carnage, they all became very quiet and introspective. Their collective anger pooled around their feet and inched higher as the horror show unfolded before them. Shredder had gone absolutely too far this time.

Donatello parked the van a couple of blocks away from the warehouse. They hated to add to the chaos, but the explosion would at least not arouse any further suspicion given the circumstances.

"Alright guys, we get out here and take to the rooftops as usual. Asha and I will take lead making sure no one is around. Raph, you and Donnie follow in close once I give the signal, and Donnie can place those explosives. Mikey, you keep a lookout. When Don is finished we haul ass out of there, understood?" Everyone nodded in understanding.

"Remember, if you run into one of his many mutants, do not engage them alone. They've all proven to be powerful and unpredictable, so we'll need to fight as a team. That means you Asha, no lone heroics," Leo said to her directly. She was about to make a witty remark, but the look in his eyes warned her not to 'back talk'. Even Raph was going along, and that only reinforced how serious this was. She had only ever been on a mission with them a couple of times, so seeing Leo like this while she was also expected to follow orders was like a new experience each time.

"Leo, why can't I go with Donnie?" Mikey whispered loudly.

"Because you fidget and talk too much," Leo answered without looking back at his brother. "Donnie won't be able to concentrate with you asking a million questions and wanting to light the fuse."

"It's on a timer Leo, no one does old school fuses anymore," Donnie offered, getting only a stern look in return from Leo.

_Stop encouraging him._

"Aww man," Mikey complained, but then settled down soon after.

They made their way to the top of the warehouse without incident. Of course it would be filled with foot soldiers. Asha watched the gears turn in Leo's mind. He was making a slew of strategies, and backup strategies on the fly. She realized she had a long way to go before her martial arts training prepared her this thoroughly. Her training had been cut short, which made her think of her uncle, which in turn made her think angry thoughts about Shredder and the Foot, and that focused her. She shifted this time keeping her hoodie and loose pants on.

"If Donnie is gonna blow this place, we shouldn't have to clear it out," she said more to herself than to him.

"No. We still have to clear an area for him to plant the explosives," he said then looked at her with a smirk. "It's never simple with us. Always more complicated than it should be."

He gave Raph and Donnie a quick nod then left her side. It took her a moment to recognize he was gone and already slipping inside the skylight. Asha kept close on his heels. Only her preternatural senses allowed her to see and hear him. To say he was highly skilled was to do him an injustice. Like she had done previously, he took out the few soldiers posted as lookouts, although he was less messy and stealthier.

Leo gave Donnie the go ahead. As silently as his brother had been, Donnie planted two bombs then waited. He signaled to Leo that he only needed to plant two more below them. Leo nodded his understanding and gave Asha a signal to follow. Before she could register what he wanted, he was gone again using a beam to scale to the floor. Amazingly, no one reacted to their presence. Asha followed him in equal silence. Being a feline gave her the natural stealth she needed to keep up. She had to hunker on all fours also to hide in the shadows, something she wasn't used to having to do. All of a sudden she felt out of her depth doing a mission alongside what she considered ninja masters.

There had to be as many as thirty men. Leo took out about ten in complete silence before the rest of them caught on. So far, there was no sign of Xever or any other mutant. Without any need to be stealthy, Asha went to work alongside Leo. They tried their best to work quickly. Leo's swords were a blur, as he sliced his way through the men. On the other side of the room Asha took care of business. The crack of staff on bone, and the slick sound of blade slicing through bodies filled the space.

Still waiting, Donnie readied his explosives. He would need to set the timer for no more than fifteen seconds. That would give them enough time to vacate the premises, and not waste a second. He watched his brother and his brother's girlfriend eliminate the foot soldiers with ease. Not having any opposition over the last two days had already made them lazy and slow to react. A knot formed in his gut again at the ease of this part of the mission. If there were only small forces here, that meant that the Brooklyn labs would be exponentially more difficult to breach and destroy.

Leo gave Donnie another signal and almost instantaneously he was standing next to them, kneeling down and planting one of the explosives at the base of one of the supporting beams. While Donnie worked Leo sent a quick text to Mikey to see if everything was still cool on the roof.

**Leo:** Is everything ok Mike?

**Mikey:** Yeah, but sumn up here wit me

**Leo:** What?!

**Mikey:** Deez Nuts!

**Leo:** :/

**Mikey:** Ha! Got 'Em!

**Leo:** Stop being an idiot Mikey!

"You almost finished Donnie?" Leo asked, a touch of annoyance in his voice because of Mikey.

"Almost," Donnie said, tongue in the corner of his mouth. "…and there. Okay, it's set for fifteen seconds. Gotta haul shell Leo!"

Leo, Donnie and Asha set off quickly, signaling Raph to go back the way they had all come. When they got to the roof Mikey was waiting, and seeing everyone running, didn't need to be told to get moving himself.

The concussive force from the explosion was more than Asha had expected. The turtles instinctively took cover under their own shells, as she ducked down. She was instantly covered by Leo who shielded her as well. A few seconds later Leo rolled off of her. She looked up to see Donnie's eyes wide, his mouth in a perfect 'o', and a dopey grin plastered on his face. The face of a true pyromaniac enjoying his handiwork.

"Come on Donnie, you've got another building to blow, so stop gawking at this and let's roll," Leo said already rounding the corner heading to the van.

"Did you guys see that?!" Donnie asked excitedly as he jumped into the driver's seat.

"What're we blind? Course we saw it brainiac, now get moving," Raph said sounding annoyed, but a smile on his face nonetheless.

"Yeah bro, you're the only one need glasses," Mikey chimed in sitting behind Donnie but still managing to hover over him as he got the Shell Raiser back on the street. Donnie narrowed his eyes at Mikey through the rearview mirror.

"Shut up Mikey," he sulked. It earned him nothing but a spitty raspberry.

"Eeeew, Mikey that's gross!" Donnie said wiping the side of his face, grimacing even more and glaring at Mikey again through the mirror.

"Guys would you cut it out?!" Leo said trying to get things back on track as Raph snickered at his brother's antics. "Heads up. Looks like we got company."

Asha, not bothering to shift back into human form, strained to see out of the window. Her eyes narrowed as she licked her lips in anticipation. The bridge was blocked with Humvees that could only belong to the Foot. Donnie tried to put the van in reverse, but other vehicles were closing in from behind.

"Oh crap," Donnie muttered, realizing he had nowhere to go. He looked to Leo for any ideas. Leo's brow ridge furrowed deeply, his eyes taking on a look that was as close to murderous as Asha had ever seen them.

"Seems like we have no choice, but to blast our way through them," Leo said turning to Mikey. "Time to rock 'n' roll Mike, you know what to do."

"Aaawww yeah!" Mikey crowed pumping his fist a little. "Check the bass, bro!" Mikey flipped the switch and a missile raised itself from the roof of the van. Not knowing what exactly to expect, the blockade held its position. Leo shook his head, this was gonna be bad, very bad.


	18. Chapter 18: Detonation II

The van rocked a little on its springs as the rocket launched. They could see some foot soldiers trying to exit the vehicles, but not making it in time. A fireball and smoke billowed into the air. When the smoke cleared, one of the Humvees had been moved by the force of the blast and was burning. It made just enough space for the Shell Raiser to get through.

"Donnie hit it!" Leo bellowed from the shotgun seat. Donnie floored it, the tires doing a quick burnout and screeching in their wake. They made it through the blockade but the other vehicles were hot on their heels, and the bridge was long. It was treacherous driving as vehicles had been left discarded all along the length of the Brooklyn Bridge. Donnie had to weave through all of them. It slowed them down, but the Humvees were also at an equal disadvantage.

"We can't have them following us. As soon as they have a chance, they'll try to run us off or worse," Leo said. "Raph, let's go. We gotta get rid of these goons before we get to Brooklyn."

"Fearless, I thought you'd never ask," Raph said with a dangerous smirk on his face. They opened the doors, one on each side of the van. Leo and Raph climbed on top of the van, their combined weight making it hard for Donnie to maneuver.

"Donnie hit the brakes!" Leo called out. Raph gave him a side eye, but before he could protest Donnie followed the orders. The Humvee behind them also slammed the brakes, but got too close to the Shell Raiser.

"Go!" Leo called, and jumped. Raphael jumped as well. Leo landed on the vehicle and held on, while Raph ran ahead and jumped on the one behind it. The soldiers didn't have a chance to shoot at the attacking turtles. Leo took care of the passenger, snatching him out of the small open window and throwing him towards the side of the bridge. The driver tried to shoot at Leo through the windshield, only to miss as Leo got to the top and reached into the driver's side. The Humvee swerved out of control as Leo wrestled the gun from his hand tossing it. One, two, three punches to the face and the driver was out. Leo reached in and pulled the steering wheel hard to the right, crashing the vehicle. He fell off of it on impact, but rolled back onto his feet immediately.

He could hear Raphael whooping and hollering as he sped past, crashing his vehicle a little further up. Raph jumped down off the Humvee and ran as fast as he could, motioning Leo to duck. A few seconds later, the Humvee and the vehicle it crashed into when up in a ball of smoke and diesel fueled fire_. It was the third explosion tonight_, Leo thought. _Donnie must be in his glory right now. _Raph bounded towards Leo with a broad smile plastered on his face.

"Aw man Leo, you shoulda seen that guy! He was scared outta his freakin' mind!" Raph said, punching a fist into an open palm and grinning like a Cheshire cat.

Leo patted him on his shell, smiling himself at the damage they had done. A little ways up, they could see Donnie had parked the van and was hanging out of the window, waiting on them. In the distance, they could all hear the approach of vehicles, undoubtedly more foot soldiers. Leo and Raph looked to one another, then ran towards the Shell Raiser.

"Donnie we gotta get moving!" Leo yelled jumping into the van.

"You got it," Donnie affirmed, hitting the gas again and making it across the bridge.

Brooklyn hadn't faired any better. Purple Dragons and Foot soldiers were more active here, as they could see attacks taking place before their eyes. Each of his brothers looked to him as they sat conflicted over heading towards their mission, or stopping to help the victims. Leo kept his gaze stern. He too was conflicted. They always risked everything to save these people time and again, and now that they needed them most, the turtles felt helpless to stop it. Asha was restless in her seat. She kept looking out of the window, witnessing the butchery and knowing that those people had not a snowball's chance in hell of surviving. Finally she couldn't take it anymore.

"We're almost at that godforsaken hell hole. Let me out of this van. I can meet you guys there, but I can't just let these people be slaughtered," she said looking directly at Leo. His mouth was a hard line.

"No." Simple and flat, his eyes never meeting hers.

"You can't stop me," she offered back in a small voice. Leo looked at her. Meanwhile Donnie had slowed the van down to a crawl, waiting to hear Leo's final verdict on the matter.

"We have this one chance to get to that lab Asha. I know what you all are thinking, I'm thinking it too, but we can't risk it. We have to think about the bigger picture," Leo said, finally looking Asha in the eyes. "We need to stick together or we will fail." Asha struggled with the idea of arguing with Leo, of going against him. This was against her very nature and instinct. The female never challenged the alpha of her pride family, which was what Leo was to her now. He was the alpha, her alpha, and thus her leader in almost all matters, not to be contradicted. Her ears cupped downward, and Leo could see her struggling with something. He reached up to soothe her, touching her shoulder but she moved away from him. Her eyes set, apparently having come to a decision.

"I'm sorry Leo," she said as the screams from outside made their way into the van. "I have to do this. I have to help them. The lab is just around the corner. Meet me, wait for me if you can," her eyes were glassy as she looked up at him. "I'm so sorry Leo, I'm so sor-" Leo placed a hand on her cheek, and a finger gently on her lips to quiet her.

"I know. I understand," he said then turned to Raphael. "Go with her. Make sure she doesn't get herself killed. We'll get to the lab and wait five minutes, no more and hopefully no less," he said.

"Yeah, sure I can babysit Whiskas," Raph said, giving Asha a wink. "It's about time me and you cracked some heads together Thundacat. Ready for me to show you how it's done?"

"I bet I get more of them than you," she teased looking back at him as they got out of the van. He took on a mischievous look.

"Aight, bet. If I win you gotta hook me up with one of ya friends that Mikey keeps talkin' about." Asha thought for a second then nodded.

"Okay, and if I win?" She asked eyebrow raised. Raph thought about it.

"Braggin' rights?"

"Uh no, that's not good enough."

"I ain't changin' ya litter pan," Raph said snorting a bit of laughter.

"Screw you!" Asha said, pushing him towards where they heard commotion. "You have to teach me to play the drums if I win, deal?"

"You got yaself a deal Whiskas, c'mon," Raph rushed towards the sound of fighting. Asha was close on his heels.

Donnie pulled off slowly. No one said anything. Leo was looking miserable, unsure of whether or not he made the right call.

"You did the right thing Leo," Donnie said glancing over to his brother. "Raph and Asha will be fine. If they don't make it back in time…"

"Don't say that!" Leo snapped. Donnie was patient.

"If they don't make it back in time, we'll just double back and get them. It's as simple as that." Donnie finished, finally finding an inconspicuous place to park the van.

"Yeah bro, don't sweat it. You did the right thing, Leo," Mikey said, patting Leo on the shell in an attempt to console him. Leo sighed and sat back in the seat, trying to still his mind as he kept watch for Asha and his brother in the side mirror.

"I got five Whiskas, how many you got?!" Raph yelled as he cracked the head of an overwhelmed purple dragon with the butt of his sai.

"Meh, just three, but don't worry about me, look out behind you," she called to him, sweeping a purple dragon off his feet with her staff, then breaking his sternum with the end of it.

Raph hit the incoming guy with an elbow to the face, then grinned at Asha.

"Six."

"GOONGALAAAA!"

They traded a puzzled glance between them, before Asha shrugged her large shoulders.

"Check it out I guess," she said as they both cautiously approached the sound. It seemed to be coming from a nearby alley.

With no rooftop to get onto, Raph tossed a shuriken at a nearby streetlamp, putting it out. They peered around the corner to find a seemingly young man wielding a hockey stick, and wearing a hockey mask with something painted on it. He seemed to be handling himself pretty well, although the guys he was trying to put down weren't all that interested in staying down.

"You wanna keep on coming?!" The guy yelled. "Well, just keep. On. Coming," he was saying landing a blow after each word. He was moving fluidly on his feet, and Asha saw that he was on roller skates. She smiled wryly. This guy had a pretty good setup for an amateur, she had to admit. He had taken out the few guys when another small group came around the other side of the alley. The guy groaned loudly.

"Aw come on! Are you guys freakin' serious?" He said tapping his hockey stick on the ground, getting ready for another onslaught. The group of drugged out gang members screamed before they ran towards him.

"Step right up! Come and get your fresh ass whoopin'!" He screamed almost happily, but there were too many and the man looked exhausted.

On a split decision, Raph jumped in front of the man and Asha followed his lead.

"Whoa, whoa what the actual FUCK?!" The young man screamed stumbling back and raising his stick defensively.

"We're mutants. Now get the hell outta here!" Raph shouted as he took out the first couple of goons. Asha leaped onto the nearby fire escape managing to get behind the group, working them from the opposite end.

"If you think you're gettin' all the action…whatever the hell you two are….you got another thing coming. GOONGALAAAA!" He roared as he jumped back into the fight.

Once all the men were either dead or disabled, the man stood almost dumbfounded looking at the two monsters that had inexplicably helped him. He was wary of them and kept his defenses up, but his gut instincts told him these two would not harm him.

"If you don't stop lookin' at me like that, I'm gonna…" Raph started to say marching towards the man, until Asha interrupted.

"My name is Asha, the big guy is Raphael. Don't pay him any attention," Asha stuck out her hand for a shake. She smiled. This was how Leo had introduced himself to her that night.

"Yeah easy for you to say. I think I'll be paying him lots of attention," he said looking warily, but shaking her extended hand. "The name's Jones. Casey Jones." He removed his mask and smiled broadly revealing missing front teeth, pretty brown eyes, and long black hair pulled into a ponytail. He looked to be in his very early twenties. Asha returned his smile as best she could, along with a friendly chuff. Raphael grunted and continued to scowl.

"We done with the pleasantries or what? It's time ta go," Raph said grabbing her by the arm and starting to pull her away.

"Hey you guys have any idea what the hell is goin on around here?" Casey called after them.

"Yeah sort of, but it's a long story. Wanna come with us? It's obviously not safe out here by yourself?" Asha offered despite getting a hard squeeze on her arm from Raph.

"Nah, I gotta get home, I got folks waiting on me. Maybe I'll catch up with guys another time," He said and took off down the alley.

Raph and Asha made their way back to the van. Leo spotted them and jumped out heading their way.

"What took you guys so long? You okay?" He asked giving them both a quick once over.

"Yeah we're cool. Ran into some weird ass kid, but other than that it's all good." Raph said, fingering the handle of his sai and looking around.

"Were you seen?" The monotone of Leo's voice suggested he already knew the answer to that. Raphael looked a bit guilty and shrugged.

"Yeah, but he was actually real cool about it to be honest," Asha chimed in. Leo facepalmed then shook his head.

"Well, it is what it is at this point. Let's get down to business." Having said that, Leo headed towards the old strip mall at a jogging pace.

* * *

They used the loading dock area as the point of entry like they had done before. Donnie took lead once again, heading straight towards the wall that doubled as an elevator door. Placing two very small devices on either end, he set them then stood back a bit. After a few seconds, they didn't so much as blow up as 'popped', almost like popping a safe. The large door began to open with a lot less control, as the hydraulics controlling it was destroyed by the devices.

A shiver went down Asha's spine. She had been dazed, but she remembered this part. She remembered being dragged in here alongside Leo, whom she thought might have been dead at the time. She remembered all the blood that came from him, and blinked her eyes rapidly against the effect of the memories. Having a PTSD breakdown wasn't an option right now. Asha looked over to see Leo clearing his mind as well.

All of them stood at the edge of the shaft and peered into it. The platform had to be resting at the bottom floor. Thankfully the shaft itself was somewhat lit. Asha could see a series of crisscrossing beams creating makeshift hand and footholds. Each brother produced a length of strong looking rope and attaching what appeared to be a hook to the end of it.

"We have to be especially quiet. The shaft has an echo, so no talking. That means you Mikey," Leo instructed as he secured the hook and began to lower himself down.

"Hey, I know how to ninja," Mikey said. Asha could tell he was just a tad bit offended at being accused of noisiness.

"So everybody's got a handy piece of rope huh? Nobody asked me how I was gonna get down there. Just figure hell, the cat's got nine lives let her figure it out," Asha grumbled. They all traded guilty looks.

"Nah, you ain't gotta look guilty or whatever, just keep on repelling down on your safe little ropes, I got this," she said with a smile on her face. She placed her staff between her powerful jaws and began to descend the shaft headfirst. _I really need some kind of harness for this thing, _she thought to herself. She was almost leaping down, often having to pause to wait for them to repel. They periodically had to stop and retrieve the hook and reattach it in order to keep going down. Leo gave her an incredulous look about halfway down.

"Showoff," he said flatly as he repelled past her. She just stared after him since she was unable to retort.

They finally made it down, and immediately heard sounds of a fight somewhere deeper within the complex. Carefully, they passed through the room they had to escape from days before. Another shudder went through Asha's body. There was no sign of anyone as they moved through the facility. As they descended to a lower floor the sounds became more distinct. Asha's ears perked up. She thought she heard familiar voices and began to trot a bit ahead of the group.

"Asha wait up!" Leo called but it was too late. As she went around the corner she pulled up short and growled. Xever and Tiger Claw were waiting with a group of soldiers behind him

"Yes, Asha, why don't you wait up like your boyfriend told you," Xever said giving her a smug look.

"How's your head Tony the Tiger?" Asha smirked at Tiger Claw, who absently touched his head and then snarled.

"I owe you for that," he growled deep in his throat.

"Ready for round two I see Fishface. I told you I was gonna kill you for touchin' Mikey," Raph cracked his knuckles and twirled his sai getting into position. Fishface grinned horribly.

"How's the arm, turtle?"

"Good enough to kick the shit outta you," Raph twirled his said once more before charging at Xever.

"No Raph! We need a pla- Ugh," Leo tried to stop him but it was too late. Asha jumped right behind Raph and attacked the foot soldiers first. Leo, Donnie, and Mikey didn't waste time either.

Donnie and Asha stood back-to-shell. Frequently, they switched sides in perfect tandem. If she went high, Donnie went low and vice versa. Having sparred against one another so many times, gave them each an understanding of the other's tendencies and style. Donnie took out two soldiers, then bent down to go to the other side, as Asha flipped over him delivering a devastating kick to a waiting soldier.

In the meantime Leo faced off against Tiger Claw once more. They circled each other, Leo with katanas drawn, Tiger Claw with his machete.

"You're a worthy adversary turtle. It will be a shame to kill a warrior such as yourself," Tiger Claw said with the tone of one assured of the outcome.

"Don't congratulate yourself too soon Tiger. You haven't killed me yet, and you won't now," Leo said as he launched his attack. This time he wasn't off guard and knew what to expect from his enemy. Tiger Claw was stunned by the ferocity of Leo's press. Images flashed in Leo's mind. This mutant had shot him, cut him badly, and handed him to Shredder on a silver platter. What was worse, was the memory of Asha being dragged onto that rooftop unconscious and beaten. Leo allowed those memories to fuel him, but kept his head. It would not do to lose focus when fighting this mutant.

Soon it was Leo and Asha facing off against Tiger Claw, while Raph, Mikey, and Donnie took on Xever. Tiger Claw was holding his own against the couple. Xever wasn't having it quite as good. It wasn't long before he was overwhelmed by the three ninjas. Mikey was getting in some major payback, his chucks darting in and out between Donnie's hits, connecting with what passed for Xever's ribs. Xever was fast, nimbly dodging several attacks from Raph, but Mikey was just as quick. For every strike Xever got away from, there was another to take its place. Donnie was busy trying to take out the mechanical legs, but not finding a good angle to hit the small electric motor that ran them.

Just as Leo and Asha were going in for what they hoped would be their final blows, both Tiger Claw and Xever managed to make their way to the door. Above them, the silent red alarm lights flashed.

"Sorry to cut this little party short, but we must be on our way," Tiger Claw gave a little grin then exited, taking off down the corridor before any of them could react. Raph wanted to give chase but Leo stopped him.

"That might be a trap and we don't have time. Something tells me that we're not the only ones here to pay this place one last farewell," Leo said looking around. "Donnie, this seems like a pretty big place, you think you got enough explosives to take this place down?"

Donnie thought about it, taking a quick peek inside his bag of goodies. "If I position them the right way I have more than enough. I need to get to a vulnerable spot, that's usually in a basement. Either that, or if I can locate a gas line and blow it, that should do more than enough damage to wipe this place off the map completely." His eyes were gleaming just a tad too much at the prospect.

"Alright you heard him. We split up and start looking for any room or area that looks like what Donnie needs," ordered Leo. They all scattered along the halls, searching for anything they could find. There was one more floor below them. It didn't take long after that to find what they needed. It was Mikey who found the storage room.

"Oh Donniiiee," he said in a sing song voice, "I think I found iiiiit."

Donatello hurried towards the room. He licked his lips as he saw multiple pipes running along the walls. He began setting up his explosives. Everyone hovered over him trying to see what he was doing. Slowly Donnie turned around and simply looked at his crowd of admirers.

"You mind?"

They got the message as they all took a few steps back.

"Thank you."

Then a second or two later,

"How much time you think we'll need Leo?"

"About ten minutes. We need to be able to clear the building entirely before it goes off," Leo said, unsettled by the sheer number of charges Donnie was setting up. He set the timer and then motioned them all out.

They ran full speed towards the elevator shaft, thankful not to have run into more than the occasional foot soldier. The turtles didn't bother with the grappling hooks coming up, they simply climbed the beams as quickly as possible. They made it almost to the van before the rumble of the explosion started deep within the underground facility. Donnie jumped into the seat pulling off, but going only a short distance to get a better view.

"C'mon Donnie, let's get out of here, what're you doing?" Leo urged.

"No, no, no, just hold on a minute okay. I just have to see it," Donnie said with no small amount of wonder in his voice. A wide smile, showing his gap in all its grandeur spread across his features.

They only stayed for less than five minutes watching to fireworks, before heading off. This time they were going to hit Shredder where he lived and end this madness tonight. Xever and Tiger Claw made a strange and sudden exit, no doubt running to their master's side. The turtles and Asha knew they would be in for the fight of their lives once they got to Shredder's stronghold. In relative silence they rode towards their enemy who was no doubt waiting on their arrival. It was going to be a very long night.


	19. Chapter 19: Raphael's Fall

The bright moonlight shone beautifully through the large windows of his throne room. He sat, his Kuro Kabuto resting at his feet. The sounds of battle were muffled, but even so he knew they were winning. Slowly making their progress through his men. Shredder heard the screams. He didn't cringe, didn't even blink. He waited patiently.

"_COWABUNGAAAA!"_

There was that ridiculous cry from the stupid one in orange. He was the most annoying, and even though Shredder hated all four there was one he hated the most. The one in blue. Leonardo; he had heard the rat call his name. Karai used to speak it as well, at times with a curious note in her voice that made Shredder shudder. He had warned her about that tone, and had forbidden her to use that mutant's so-called proper name in his presence. She had obeyed. She always obeyed. His eyes narrowed and his muscles twitched involuntarily as anger began to course through his veins.

To his right Tiger Claw stood like a silent sentinel. His eyes never leaving the door at the end of the very long walkway. His ears turned this way and that, focusing on sounds that Shredder could hear, and many that he could not. One of those sounds was that of Shredder's own pulse and the push and pull of his blood flow. The tiger, being the animal he now was, could hear Shredder's heart beating a bit faster. His sensitive nose could smell pheromones associated with anger and fighting rather than fear.

Tiger Claw had disagreed with his employer's tactics. Not known for his mercy, Tiger Claw liked to believe that he lived by a code. That code did not allow the wanton murder of defenseless innocents. He was a mercenary, a hired killer, but even so his moral compass had not been warped beyond recognition. He had been hired to deal with the turtles, and that he would do without qualms. However, the Foot Clan was not his clan and he owed it no allegiance. His nose wrinkled, as the stench of fear reached it even through the doors. He readied himself. On the other side of Shredder, he could see that Xever was doing the same.

"_AAGHHH! COME ON! BRING IT!"  
_

That…nerd! The one in purple who had so expertly disabled the code on that fateful day atop Sacks Tower. Shredder's grip tightened on the arms of his throne. They were closer. With each battle cry he could feel power slipping from his grasp. The rage flowing on the heels of that realization would be more than enough to overwhelm these disgusting creatures once and for all.

He reached for his Kuro Kabuto, a symbol of power and of his right to rule. He caught his reflection in it before placing it on his head. Gone was all the superfluous armor that slowed his movements. The mutagen he'd used to heal had granted him a physical strength he had not known before. He felt more like the ninja master he was, as he returned to his roots. His spiked shoulder, arm, and shin guards over form-fitting gear was more to his liking. His cape, which he was not wearing at the moment, added the final touch. It had belonged to his master before him and he would never again do away with it in favor of useless gadgets.

The rumble of the fighting vibrated in the walls and the floor. It rippled the water in the small shallow pool underneath the walkway. He donned his helmet and face mask. He was ready for them.

* * *

Donnie pulled the van into a dark alley a few blocks away from what had to be Shredder's headquarters. The concentration of foot soldiers told them so. It was eerily quiet all around, the adrenaline of setting and watching explosions was replaced by the solemn recognition of what lay ahead. Leo looked around at his brothers and his girlfriend and sighed heavily.

"Are we ready? Do we all know what we're doing?" He asked them.

"Yeah we go in and teach these clowns a very, very painful lesson," Raph said cracking his knuckles for emphasis, just in case his brothers didn't catch his drift.

Leo looked out into the night for a moment. It seemed every time they faced Shredder, plans and tactics went out the window. He prided himself on keeping them prepared, but it seemed Shredder was always one step ahead of them. He sighed heavily once more and looked over his team again, his family. He would have to trust them as they trusted him, and it would have to be enough or…he didn't want to think about what a failure here would mean.

"Alright, let's rock-n-roll ninja style."

They exited the van as quiet and quick as shadows. Splitting into three groups, Leo with Raph, Donnie with Mikey, and Asha alone. Leo didn't like it, but if they were going to be efficient he couldn't give in to his first reaction of trying to coddle her. She didn't need any coddling. She had probably killed more people than he had if he were being honest with himself. In exactly three minutes, they had managed to wipe out all the foot soldiers on guard duty outside.

Leo and Donnie had searched for an alternate way in that didn't involve waltzing through the front doors like they owned the place. The place was better than a fortress, and they could find no way inside other than the unappealing front door option. They circled back around to the front being sure to stick to the shadows after Asha had taken care of the flood lights. Leo took lead as he opened the front door, steeling himself for an immediate attack, and then not seeing or hearing anything. The rest of them followed suit, easing into the interior and were amazed.

The cathedral bore no resemblance to the house of prayer it had once been. Having been at some point divested of any religious symbolism, it looked more like an ancient castle befitting feudal Japan than twenty first century New York. It had been completely redesigned. Gone was the open floorplan customary of places of worship. In its place were long halls having a few doors randomly on both sides, and staircases at both ends. They couldn't tell how many floors there were, but no matter how many they would undoubtedly have to fight through each to reach their target.

All of them except for Asha felt naked and exposed in the hall, having no cover or place to hide. They kept against the wall as best they could, keeping eyes and ears focused. Asha stopped and put her nose in the air. Her muzzle twitched and her upper lip curled revealing her long fangs. Her ears cupped towards the far stairwell before laying back almost flat against her skull, hackles raised in a ridge along her spine. Asha was sneering as if she were roaring or about to, but not making a sound. The turtles looked at one another. They couldn't hear or see what was coming, but if Asha's behavior was any indication, they were about to find out and they wouldn't be too happy about it.

From the far end of the hall came the faint whisper of shuriken flying through the air. Just in time, the brothers ducked and threw some of their own, although they could not yet see how many enemies they faced. Asha took off towards them with her staff spinning furiously as she blocked the incoming throwing stars and knives. Leo started to yell after her, but soon realized that her rash move had provided a small cover for him and his brothers to advance.

Not needing stealth anymore at this point, they ran headlong down the hall. They could see Asha holding the line taking out several soldiers at a time with deadly precision, all previous injuries and ailments temporarily forgotten. The hall was wide enough that five or six soldiers could stand abreast. This meant a confined space for the turtles and for Asha. This bottlenecking effect would have no doubt been too much for the group had they been human, but the smaller space meant that those not directly attacked stood a higher than normal chance of becoming collateral damage. Being crushed between two shells was not only a distinct possibility, but a reality for many of the fighters.

Asha turned to see what kind of progress the turtles were making behind her assault. They could only stand two side by side. They were making progress but too slowly. They would be worn out before they could get through this crowd. She had to do something quick. She caught eye contact with Leo, then tossed him her staff. He promptly put it in his belts behind his shell and kept fighting, but gave her a quick puzzled look. She crouched and then roared, startling the soldier directly in front of her long enough to grab her by the throat. Asha did not give the kunoich time to react, before sinking her deadly fangs into the ninja woman's soft throat, and then slowly ripping the flesh away while maintaining eye contact with the soldier behind her.

Asha felt the sting of two blades hit each of her arms. Dropping the dead ninja to the floor she raked the face of the one on her right, and turned to face the one to her left. A blood-soaked muzzle was the last thing he saw as Asha crushed the lower half of his face between her powerful jaws.

Fear. They were rank with it. It came off of them in relentless waves, making the killing euphoric. No fighting scenario no matter how realistic included preparation for being eaten alive. Asha could feel the red curtain closing over her mind, directing her actions. Her attacks became more animalistic rather than those of a skilled martial artist. There was no need for a drug other than the act of killing itself to fuel this berserker's rage.

Suddenly Mikey appeared at her side taking out just as many foot soldiers as she was, albeit in a much less savage manner. His nunchucks were a blur and so were his feet as he delivered blow after blow, followed by spinning kicks both high and low.

"COWABUNGAAA!" He shouted as he took down several more, periodically turning his back to deflect the shuriken thrown at him.

Asha heard the whistle of arrows being shot, just as Leo warned them.

"Get down!" Leo shouted as his brothers turned their shells. Asha took two hits to her arm and one below her ribs, before she used one of the soldiers as a human shield.

Leo saw her take those hits, had seen her take multiple hits, but couldn't reach her to shield her, and even Mikey had not been able to protect her at that moment. Angry, he pulled two poison tipped shuriken of his own and took down the archer who had set up on a platform above the stairs. One hit he archer's shoulder and one in the neck. Immediately he saw them go rigid and come tumbling down from their perch.

"Come on guys, we gotta push through them now! We can't get pinned down!" Leo got to his feet and instantly began fighting again. The soldiers began to panic as he heard Asha roar again. He could see her standing and yanking the arrows from her body, blood beginning to weep from the wounds blackening her fur as it ran.

"Raph get up there next to Asha, help her clear the rest of the stairs. I'll get behind you and take care of any stragglers. Mikey, you and Donnie will get any that get past me."

"No problem bro!" Mikey yelled, circling his way behind Asha, while taking down two more foot soldiers. The hall was now clearing under the organized assault. More archers popped up, and were taken down just as quickly.

Asha's bloodletting coupled with Raph bulldozing through the crowd was making for tricky footwork. Bodies and blood littered the floor as they made their way to the second level. Everyone stopped. There were no more hordes of foot waiting for them. There stood only two ninja, and by the small frames and curve of their bodies they were two kunoichi. One had her face covered, but the other did not, and Asha recognized her as one of the ladies with the police chief in the club that night.

These two must be his top guard. By this time Asha's bloodlust was letting up a bit. Leo stepped up in front, and Asha smoothly passed behind him, eased her staff from his back and took her stance. Mikey, Donnie, and Raph struck their stances as well. Leo spoke up.

"You are vastly outnumbered. You might wanna sit this one out unless you actually _want_ to become her next meal," he nodded his head in Asha's direction. On cue Asha growled menacingly, muzzle dark with both fresh and dried blood. It was enough to inspire nightmares for any sane individual. These two simple giggled, but also moving in a flanking maneuver. Clearly they were not sane at all.

"We just cleared an entire hall of foot soldiers. The chances of you surviving this encounter has got to be," Donnie said pausing to think, then shook his head. "I may have to invent the formula that can calculate such a low number, but trust me when I say it is definitely _not_ in your favor."

"Quiet now kame, you should reserve your strength for the fight, yes?" One of them said, her voice high pitched and silky, almost seductive in its tone. She had gotten close to Leo and attempted to caress his plastron, but he stepped back. Asha's eyes narrowed and she swung at the woman with her bo. The kunoich flipped out of the way, almost lazily as if she were not concerned in the least about being hurt. She then giggled again in a school girl sort of way.

"Ah, so this one must belong to you. He is the leader I presume. It is always a good thing to bed the leader isn't it? It's always the best." She looked Asha in the eyes, maybe hoping to get a reaction. Asha rolled her eyes.

"Which one of you is 'bedding the leader'?" Asha asked and then was surprised by the answer.

"We both are," they both answered, seeming almost shocked that it wasn't obvious.

"Of course Setsuko was first," the one with her face covered said.

"Then I asked if Kazuko could join us," Setsuko said, a sly smile spreading on her pretty face. "It took a little convincing, but he eventually agreed," her voice still seductive but her eyes taking on a glint of mischievousness. They both seemed to be giving each brother a once over, and trying to come closer to touch them. The women were beautiful and the turtles were intrigued, but were not allowing themselves to be touched or approached. A female ninja was most deadly when she wasn't fighting.

All of a sudden Asha's nose twitched. An extremely faint smell was emanating from the two women, and it had nothing to do with pheromones. They had something…..on their hands!

"Don't allow them to touch you, they've got something on their hands," Asha stated not even trying to whisper at all. The women's eyes narrowed.

"What do you think they've got?" Donnie said cringing back a little. He knew of more than a few skin diseases that could be spread through touch, and he wasn't too eager to see if they were susceptible to any of them.

"Dude, they've got foot clan cooties!" Mikey exclaimed. Asha couldn't tell if he was being funny or was actually concerned about the possible transmission of cooties.

"Don't let their hands or their weapons touch your skin," Leo commanded, bracing himself for their attack. All his brothers nodded.

"Enough of this talking Kazuko, we have much to do and Shredder will be pleased if we finish this quickly," Setsuko said.

"Yes sister, let's finish this shall we?" Kazuko said brandishing a whip chain in each hand, Setsuko producing her tanto.

They moved fluidly like water. Jumping over each other, and moving between the brothers effortlessly. Every time they flipped over or passed by, one of the turtles or Asha was getting cut. The cuts themselves were small and shallow, little more than paper cuts or shaving nicks. Asha realized it wasn't the cuts that were the danger, but what was in them. They were being poisoned. Just as that thought crossed her mind, she heard a thump and the brothers cry out.

Raphael was the first to fall, and Mikey was a bit woozy on his feet. Both of them had short weapons and had a hard time getting in close. Mikey was the faster of the two, and so hadn't taken as many hits as Raph.

Raph wasn't moving, but his eyes were open, his breathing was becoming shallow, and his body was stiffening.

"Raph!" they chorused as Donnie ran to kneel by his side. He checked his brother over and his face began to fall.

"Donnie, what's it looking like?!" Leo asked trying his best to hold off the two ninjas, and having marginal success.

"I can't tell what they used, Leo. If I give him the wrong antidote I could kill him. I need to examine him and fast before it's too late!" Unbridled fear was in Donnie's face and in his voice. Mikey's eyes were round with fear, and then narrowed in determination and anger. Leo mirrored his brother.

They both stalked in on the two women, attempting to hem them into a corner. The female ninjas backpedaled away from the angry turtles with a look of mock fear etched across their faces, or at least the one face they could see.

"Setsuko,"

"Yes?"

"I do believe it is time for us to leave," said Kazuko. With that they dropped two smoke bombs, and when the haze cleared no one was on the landing except the turtles and Asha. Donnie jumped angrily to his feet.

"Where are you?!" He screamed looking in every direction. "AAAAAGGH! Come on! Bring it!" He screamed to the top of his lungs throwing stars in whichever direction he thought they'd disappeared to. When he got no answer, he fell back to his knees next to his brother, all of them now crowding around a fallen Raphael.

"We're running out of time guys, we have to see to Raphael," Leo said, helping Donnie and Mikey pick Raph up.

Without exchanging any words, Mikey and Asha took lead while Leo and Donnie carried Raphael between them. When they reached the bottom of the stairs they stopped short. Ahead of them Mikey and Asha had taken a defensive stance. Leo's heart dropped as he saw why. A large number of very angry looking purple dragon thugs were standing between them and the way out. Donnie let out a groan. They didn't have time for this.


	20. Chapter 20: Hell Hath No Fury

I'm so damn stupid. I know exactly how I got caught up, and it was fucking dumb. The one with the chains kept jumpin' outta my way. Every time I thought I had a bead on her, she would damn near disappear and then cut me. At first I wasn't bothered by it, I just wanted her to stay still long enough for me to wipe that stupid look off her face. I got impatient, like master Splinter always told me not to be. The next time she flung those chains my way, I caught them by wrappin' them around my arms. It woulda worked too, but she had blades all along the chains and they were poisoned. I had to let go of it, but by then it was too late.

I felt my head start spinnin', and my legs went stiff. I tried to warn my brothers, I tried to warn Mikey who was gonna try the same trick I did but I couldn't talk. I couldn't even move. I fell to the floor like a sack of potatoes.

I heard my family scream my name, and it crushed me inside. They needed to finish this and not worry about me, but if I knew them they wasn't about to do that. Then I saw Donnie above me. He was lookin' so worried. I wanted to tell him to get that bitch for me, but I couldn't. My mouth felt like it was full of cement. Then I saw Mikey's face, and his tears fell on my cheeks. He was scared about me. I couldn't see Leo, but I heard him. It didn't sound too good. Then something in Mikey's face changed. I've never seen the little squirt get so worked up, not even when I get after him.

I don't know what happened, but I guess those two ninja broads vanished. I could tell because of the smoke and knew they had to drop a smoke bomb. My eyes watered, I couldn't even cough and it was gettin' into my chest. It took everything I had to even close my eyes. Maybe that freaked Donnie out or something, because I ain't never, ever, heard him lose his shit like that. He must've thought I was dead or something. I wanted to open my eyes, let him know I'm still here, but I couldn't.

Then all of a sudden I was gettin' picked up. I could tell it was Donnie and Leo just by touching them. We was going back down I think, then we stopped. Leo and Donnie tensed up, this couldn't be good. Damn I felt so freakin' useless! Then I heard screamin'. It was Thundacat threatening to tear somebody's fucking head off and Mikey was backin' her up. Good ol' Mikey! That's what I wanna hear, not this runnin' away crap. Kick their asses Mikey!

"Tell me you see the bodies on the floor," Asha was sizing up each and every thug in front of them.

"Yeah, we see 'em freak," the thug in front answered.

"Good. If you don't move, right now, you will join them, and I will personally enjoy every second of putting you there," Asha warned, a growl emanating from her chest.

"Yeah, what she said," Mikey's tone was dangerous as he gave his nunchucks a warning spin. "And I wouldn't say the word 'freak' anymore either. It pisses me off."

Leo and Donnie glanced at each other, having never seen Mikey this angry. The thugs shifted a little and began to murmur among themselves.

"We ain't here to fight with you fr-whatever you are. We're here for that bastard Shredder. He fucking tricked us and he killed Hun, and we ain't lettin' him get away wit' that!"

All of them looked at each other, then sort of shrugged.

"So, let me get this straight, you don't want to fight us, you want to fight Shredder?" Leo asked an eyebrow ridge raised way up.

"Yeah, you got a problem with that Hulk Jr.?" The thug in front said, eliciting a few quiet laughs from his guys.

"As a matter of fact, nope, we don't have a problem with it at all," Leo said, looking at his brothers and Asha. "Any of you guys got a problem with it or anything?"

"Nah bro"

"Nope, not at all."

"That would be a negative."

Asha and Mikey stood to one side, while Leo and Donnie stood to the other, careful not to jostle Raph too much. The purple dragons passed by sort of in a hurry, but not trusting the mutants lining the wall. They cast furtive glances as they passed until the group had gone all the way up the stairs. They could hear the gang banging on the doors, and a fight breaking out as they must have gotten them open.

After that weirdness, they rushed Raphael to the van. Donnie had set up a quick medical station equipped with most of the things one would find in an ambulance. He bent down to listen to Raph's heart while checking his pulse. His brow furrowed.

"Well his pulse seems regular, not too strong but certainly not weak," Donnie said loud enough for all to hear, but not really talking to them. "His breathing is a bit shallow, let me get him on a respirator," he said as he motioned for Mikey to move out of his way.

"Is he gonna die Donnie? Please don't let him die," Mikey pleaded tears already springing up in his eyes. Leo was thinking the same thing. He wasn't crying but he had the same look of distress on his face. Asha was contemplating the various small cuts on Raph's arm.

"I don't think he's dying, but I still need to figure out what was on those weapons. From what I can see, seems like a paralytic so maybe a neurotoxin of some sort," Donnie was getting the respirator on Raph's face while he was talking. They could barely make out the rise and fall of his plastron.

"It looks like only one of his arms is really cut up, the other one seems fine. I'm willing to bet that whatever it is, it wasn't enough to kill him. Maybe because of his size, or maybe it just wasn't enough poison to begin with," Asha said looking at both his arms intently, and resisting the urge to lick his wounds clean. She thought maybe that would be just a little too creepy for the others to handle.

Leo sat back a little thinking of what to do next. He wiped a grimy hand over his face before he spoke.

"We need to get out of here. Shredder will just have to wait, because Raph is more important," his eyes betrayed the confidence in his voice.

_No Fearless! Go in and kick his ass, I'll be fine. Do it for me._

His brothers all nodded slowly, weighing the cons and pros of this decision in their minds and in their hearts. If they leave now with this unfinished, who knows what Shredder will do next? He will remain in control of the city without anyone to stop him, and many more lives will be lost. If they stay, what will become of Raphael? Would they be able to live with themselves knowing that had they left with Raph he would be okay? Leo would live with the most guilt and it would eat him alive if something bad happened to his brother based on a decision he made. The turmoil on his face was more than Asha could bear. After struggling with whether or not it was her place to make a suggestion in this instance, she decided that if she didn't speak up now she would forever regret it.

"Donnie, is his breathing steady?"

Donnie checked the oxygen readings on the monitor. "Yeah, his levels are normal. It's a bit shallow but otherwise holding steady."

"Guys, I don't know if I'm qualified to suggest what you may or may not do concerning your brother, but I think he'll eventually be fine." Asha said uneasily. She was talking with her head down, and staring at her fiddling hands.

_Quit fumbling around and say it already Thundacat_

"It's just that, I don't think we should leave this undone guys, and I don't think Raph would want you to. I mean I know you guys know him so much better than me, but I think I'm right about this one." She looked up nervously. She had no idea how they would take that, and Leo was already sort of shaking his head no.

_Don't do it Fearless. Don't fight her on this, man._

"I-I can't. I can't leave him like this. What if he dies while we're in there? I couldn't live with myself, with my decision." Leo's face was distorted with guilt just thinking of that scenario.

_Dammit Leo!_

There was an uneasy silence, as they all looked down at Raphael. If they hadn't known he'd been in a fight, they would think he was asleep. Donnie was obsessively checking his vital signs, and then sighing in relief when he saw they were normal and steady.

"As much as I hate to say it guys, I believe Asha is correct. His vital signs are stable, and from what I can tell that isn't going to change," Donnie offered and looked hopefully at Leo who still wasn't quite convinced, but seemed to be getting there.

"Leo, I hate the thought of leaving our bro here too, but if we don't stop Shred-head tonight, we may not have anything to fight for later. We gotta have some hope for Raph that he'll be okay. Dude, if Donnie says he's stable, then he's stable," Mikey pleaded with Leo laying a hand reassuringly on his arm.

Leo wrestled with it a long time. Then they heard a few shots ring out, and Leo recognized the sound as one of Tiger Claw's pistols. They were waiting quite literally with baited breath to hear what he would decide. He finally looked up at them, having come to a decision although he still didn't seem completely at peace with it.

"Okay. Donnie you stay here with Raph and keep an eye on him. The rest of us will go back in and finish this. If you get into trouble, or his conditions worsens to the point where you have to leave, just let us know, but don't wait for a reply from us, got it?" Leo commanded, his eyes refocusing as he got his mind back into fight mode.

_Hell yeah Leo! That's what I'm talkin' about!_

"Oh and guys, let's go in from the top this time. There's a skylight up there and he won't be expecting it.

They exited the van, this time heading directly to the cathedral's roof. The skylight was stained glass, but they could make out the fighting. Shredder was still there, Xever was down and Tiger Claw seemed just about in the same condition. Two more figures were moving around, and Leo suspected them to be the two kunoich from earlier.

Silently they dropped in, landing on the rafters and support beams. The statues carved into the wall and ceiling provided enough hand and foot holds the allow them to come down to floor level and land right in the middle of the mayhem.

The bodies of purple dragon gang members littered the floor. There were only a few left and they were giving Tiger Claw a hard time. From the looks of things, he'd had to use his gun just the thin the herd. The two female ninjas were laughing as they darted in and out of the now small group, picking them off with ease.

"I'll take Tiger Claw. Asha you and Mikey take out the ninjas!" Leo yelled as he immediately engaged Tiger Claw. There was now only about four or five gang members and they were doing nothing but getting in Leo's way.

Setsuko wasted no time attacking Mikey with her poisonous whip chains. He got hit once on the leg, then began to turn his shell to her. However, that put him on the defensive only as she began to pin him down this way. While his shell was turned to her Kazuko would dash in and attempt to cut him with her tanto. Asha was growing tired of them attacking Mikey relentlessly. Setsuko withdrew her whips then shot them out once more but this time Asha twined it on her staff. Setsuko's eyes went wide a little and then she made the mistake of trying to yank the weapon from Asha's hands. Grinning and showing her fangs once again, Asha gave one good heave and brought Setsuko to the floor sprawling before her. This allowed Mikey to focus his fighting on Kazuko. She was very quick, and although Mikey was fatigued with continuous fighting, he was still fast enough to dodge most of her attacks. After quite a few misses, he finally nailed her in her knee as she flipped in to cut him once more, having barely missed his throat. Kazuko fell, and Mikey immediately had her by her arm then held both her hands together in his large green one.

"Well, well, well, seems like I caught myself an evil ninja dudette," he said as she tried to twist her way out of his grip and failing miserably. "Now, now, we can't have you getting away now can we? Let's put you to beddy-bye," and with that Mikey hit exactly three pressure points along her body and she instantly went limp in his hand. While he didn't quite drop her on the floor, he wasn't too careful about how she landed. He looked to Asha, but she signaled him to help Leo. She could handle little miss whip chains.

Like a well-oiled machine Mikey knew exactly how to compliment his brother's style as they pressed an already injured Tiger Claw. Leo had relieved the tiger of his guns. Katana and machete clashed repeatedly, as Mikey focused on Tiger Claws legs to get him unbalanced. Tiger Claw nailed Mikey with a kick, delivering deep gashes to his arm, but Mikey only rebounded as if he hadn't been cut. Mikey promptly attempted a leg sweep from behind, as Leo slashed upward with both his swords, but Tiger Claw managed to dodge the leg sweep and block the incoming swords. Undeterred, Mikey hit Tiger Claw twice on the ankle, breaking it. With a howl of pain, Tiger Claw fell to his knees, and found the cold tip of Leo's swords at his throat. Mikey loomed over him as well, daring him to move.

"I shouldn't allow you to live after all you've done tiger," Leo's tone was cold and his eyes unyielding. Tiger Claw said nothing, determined not to plead or beg for his life. Mikey glanced at Leo ready to back him up in whatever he decided, but personally felt he had seen, and done, enough killing for one night.

"However," Leo continued "Asha told me that you stopped some men from violating her, although you had no reason to do that besides honor. My thanks to you for sparing her that indignity is your worthless, murdering life. If I see you again, if you attack my family again, I will kill you."

Keeping his eyes on Leo and Mikey, Tiger Claw slowly got to his feet. Keeping balance on the unbroken ankle, he managed a very small bow to Leo, much to the latter's surprise.

"You have proven yourself more honorable than many human warriors," Tiger Claw said. He seemed as if he wanted to say more, but decided to make an exit in case the turtle changed his mind. Leo turned to see Asha's progress and was horrified to see that Shredder had finally decided to join the fight.

Every time Setsuko tried to get up, Asha yanked her back to the floor. She had gotten herself tangled in her whips, but more than that she was too stubborn and stupid to let them go. Not wanting to lose her weapons was going to get her brutally murdered.

"Should have just let it go when you had the chance, dumbass" Asha said, yanking her once more to the floor, then proceeding to wind the chain around Setsuko's throat. The razors intertwined within the chains began to dig into her flesh as she let out strangled angry cries. Her eyes shot daggers at Asha. Then in a split second something in the ninja woman's eyes flickered, and on pure instinct Asha dodged to her left. It was Shredder. He didn't land a killer blow as he intended, but Asha's arm had been cut. She had to loosen her grip on Setsuko, and the ninja hastily got to her feet to take a stance by Shredder's side.

"So, that's what it takes to get you all riled up huh? Couldn't stand to have me sit her head in your lap could you? I assure you that's where I was gonna put it, you child murdering sonofabitch," Asha growled climbing back to her feet and striking a stance yet again for the thousandth time tonight. She was joined by Leo and Mikey.

"If you're referring to those little shifter monsters, then no I didn't kill them but it makes no difference to me that they are dead. They received the same treatment any of you….creatures would receive from the Foot Clan. It's better than you deserve," Shredder said as he cast his gaze almost thoughtfully over them all before landing on Leo. If he thought Leo would shrink underneath that gaze, he was wrong. Instead, Leo stepped out in front once again to meet his biggest enemy.

"You, turtle!" Shredder said with venom dripping off the words and pointing an accusatory finger at Leo. "You took from me the one thing that I valued in this world aside from my clan!"

"Karai," and there was a passing cloud in Leo's eyes as he spoke her name. His eyes then narrowed.

"Do not speak her name mutant!" Shredder's voice thundered as he charged Leonardo. Setsuko was about to step in also, until Mikey caught her with a few well-placed pressure point hits and put her to sleep as well.

Shredder's onslaught was almost worse without the metal suit than it was with it. His arm guards had two blades each that extended, and were as good as any sword. Leo's fatigue was showing up quickly, having again literally fought all night long. Mikey and Asha wasted no time jumping in, getting hits wherever they could, but he was strong and fast.

Leo gave all that he had and then some, but he wasn't fast enough to block a particularly complicated kata from Shredder, and ended up getting a kick in his plastron for his troubles. He was knocked back a few feet, and it took him a moment to catch his breath. Mikey and Asha attacked simultaneously, but Shredder's armor was enough to repel the force of the blunt weapons. Shredder backhanded Asha, cutting her face and sending her flying. Mikey advanced but got caught in Shredder's grasp, a blade pressed dangerously at his throat. Mikey was struggling, but received a few punches in his sensitive side as Shredder held him. Leo had gotten up and so had Asha, but didn't want to risk Mikey's life by attacking.

"You're so pathetic. When will you learn never to challenge me? When will you realize I am stronger, faster, better than you?!" Once again Shredder's voice boomed throughout the large space.

Asha edged around towards where Setsuko lay unconscious. She grabbed her and threatened her with an extended claw.

"You cut him, and your little slut dies," Asha glared, teeth bared fully ready to do exactly as she had threatened. Shredder actually laughed out loud.

"This is mildly amusing that you think I care about her. She's nothing to me. Now your so-called brother will die."

Everything happened in a flash. Just as Shredder was about to cut Mikey's throat he was attacked from behind by Kazuko. She had regained consciousness and apparently heard him declare how much he didn't love Setsuko, and by extension herself. She had cut his Achilles tendon and his hamstring. He fell to the floor, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. The look of complete shock and anger on his face was almost comical. With Shredder's grip loosened, Mikey made it over to Leo while rubbing his throat.

"Dude I was almost gonna visit that big pizza place in the sky," he said while looking in shock at the scene unfolding before all of them.

Kazuko seemed weakened, but she was screaming something in Japanese that Leo and Mikey seemed to understand as faint smiles crept onto their faces. She was attacking him wildly, but Shredder was swiftly regaining his composure and blocking her.

Mikey's eyes brightened as he ran over to Setsuko's limp body. With a few strikes to pressure points, she was waking up and becoming coherent. He actually helped her to sit up, and whispered something in her ear. Her head snapped up, gave Mikey a confused look, and then leveled her eyes on Shredder and Kazuko. She gathered her weapons and began to strike at Shredder who had gotten an upper hand on Kazuko.

"Masaka! Tandoku de watashi no imōto o nokoshimasu! (No! Leave my sister alone!)" Setsuko screamed as she struck Shredder numerous times all about his body. Being unable to stand he seemed to succumb to the combined attack of his former lovers.

Asha, Mikey, and Leo beat a hasty retreat. They looked back only once to see Shredder on his knees with his Kuro Kabuto knocked off, and a furious Setsuko behind him choking him with her poisoned chains. Kazuko meanwhile was stabbing him multiple times, and ripping his clothes from his body, including his pants. The turtles turned their heads. They thought they understood exactly what she was planning to do, as they made their way down the steps and into the night.

* * *

Donnie rubbed Raph's head. His vitals were stable but he hadn't come to yet. He worried that whatever the neurotoxin was, that it would affect him negatively beyond repair. Donnie didn't have enough of his gear on hand to perform a blood test on Raph, and thinking about it simply increased his worry.

"Don't worry Raph, I'll find out what's wrong, and I'll fix you. I always fix you," Donnie cooed to his brother, again getting no response. "Please stay with me, stay with us Raph."

_I'm tryin' Donnie…..it's dark here…_

Donnie looked out of the window for the millionth time, hoping that his brothers and Asha would round the corner. He was about to return to his place beside Raph when he saw them. They were hurt, he could see that from a distance, but they were making their way to him at least under their own power. He hurried back to Raph.

"Here they come Raph! They made it! We're going home brother!" He was practically screaming it as he got into the driver's seat and started the van.

Leo, Mikey, and Asha hurried as best they could into the van. They all immediately looked back to see if Raph was up, and their collective shoulders slumped when they saw he was still laying there unmoving.

Without saying much, they wound their way through the streets and finally made it home. Leo and Donnie once again carried Raphael into the lair and rushed him into the lab.

"Donnie, when you get a chance you'll need to send some kind of message to the authorities so that they can start cleaning up Shredder's mess. Is that possible to do?" Leo asked looking with worry over at Raph. He just wasn't used to seeing his strong younger brother seem so helpless.

"As soon as I get him stabilized I'll get right on it," Donnie said quietly, and gathering supplies for performing a blood test.

Splinter and April were worried but did not enter the lab for fear of getting into Donnie's way. Asha lay a hand on Splinter's shoulder.

"We think he'll be alright Splinter. He got hit with some form of poison that paralyzed him. Donnie doesn't know what it is, but he's trying to find out," Asha said, but Splinter's face became like stone.

"Thank you my child," he said simply before going into the lab.

"Dad, you shouldn't be in here-" Donnie was saying but shut his mouth when Splinter stood next to Raph without saying anything.

They all stared in amazement as Splinter began to chant something in Japanese and make strange symbols with his hands. The minutes ticked by as the chanting got louder and Splinter's hand motions were almost indistinguishable. After a long while Splinter motioned for Donatello to help him turn Raph's head to the side. Raphael coughed vigorously, an almost black bile looking substance flying from his mouth like phlegm.

When he was done with the coughing jag, they laid him on his plastron. Splinter seemed to be weakened by this process, as he almost had to be carried out by Mikey to the couch.

"Sensei?" Leo asked after his father tentatively. He didn't know what he'd just witnessed exactly, but his respect and love for Splinter grew a hundred fold. He knew he had helped Raph in a way that none of them could have.

"I will be fine Leonardo. That is an ancient healing technique. There are many poisons for a ninja to use, we may have never found which one it was. Even if we had, some of them have no known antidote," Splinter said, gathering himself while sitting on the couch.

"He is free of the poison, but he will need time to rest, to heal. You all must be strong and patient. Wait for your brother to return to you," he offered up a weak but genuine smile. He reached out one arm to Mikey who instantly curled himself up on the couch next to his father. Had he not been so tired, Leo would have laughed. He hadn't seen Mikey do that since they were small children, when Mikey would be scared of a movie or a bad dream. Now it was just ridiculous given Mikey's size over their dad. All that was missing now was for him to suck his thumb like he used to do.

Eventually, Donnie came out of the lab and plopped down on the couch himself.

"I'm gonna hit the showers and then get some much needed rest in a minute. I went ahead and sent an encrypted message to the authorities. They should be in the city by morning," Donnie shrugged and sat back in his seat. "Did you guys, you know, get rid of Shredder?"

Mikey sat up with a gleam in his eyes. "Dude, hell hath no fury, that's all I'm gonna say!"

Donnie cracked a small grin but looked confused as he looked over to Leo.

"I'll tell you all about it in the morning Don. Right now, I need a shower and some sleep. Come on Asha." Leo said smiling and grabbing Asha by the hand as they headed towards the lab to patch each other up.

Each one of them had showered and slept as dawn broke over the city. It had been one hell of a night, but they had all survived. They slept, believing in their hearts that Raphael would wake up soon.


	21. Chapter 21: Epilogue

"Sweetheart? You want any breakfast? Mikey cooked pancakes," Asha said sweetly as she peeked her head into the lab. It was the third day that Raphael lay unconscious and Leo had barely left his side.

"No thanks, I'm not hungry," Leo said without moving or turning around. Asha frowned a bit before she knelt by Leo's side.

"I know you're worried about him, we all are, but sitting here and not eating, not practicing, and ignoring everyone else isn't going to wake him up any faster," she was trying to be soothing, but Leo simply got irritated.

"I made the decision ultimately to go back in, leaving him in whatever condition. He might be up and about had I simply made my family my priority instead of fighting," Leo was whisper yelling, his brow furrowed and looking up at Asha with a look that said she couldn't possibly understand.

"All of that is ifs and maybes. What if you had done this thing, rather than that thing? Maybe if you had left earlier blah, blah, blah," she said as she rubbed his arm gently and grabbed hold of his hand. "The thing about all that is it doesn't matter about the 'what if'. What matters is what happened. You made a decision, but you didn't make it by yourself. We made it right along with you, so you shouldn't sit here and beat yourself up about it anymore. Raph would have wanted nothing less than for us to have done what we did, and he for certain wouldn't want you sitting here fawning over him either."

Leo just stared ahead, not really acknowledging anything. Then his eyes brightened and got wide, as he sat up very straight in his chair.

"Did you see that?! His hand moved did you see it?!" Leo said jumping out of the chair and rushing to hold Raph's hand. Asha stood next to him, but didn't see any changes in Raphael. She was starting to think Leo may have imagined it, and the look on his face said he was just about thinking the same thing. Then Raph's hand twitched again, his fingers flexing around Leo's hand and is eyes began to flutter.

"Leo—" Raph's voice was weak and much raspier than normal. His green eyes were cloudy with sleep and a bit of incoherency, but they finally landed on his brother's face. A crooked smile graced his face.

"I'm here Raph!" Leo was positively beaming. Asha had never seen him so happy and relieved. He was rubbing Raph's head and arms incessantly.

"You gonna keep pettin' me, or what's a guy gotta do to get some water around here?" Raph joked. Leo ran from the lab screaming that Raph was awake and that he needed water, lots of water.

Asha leaned over him rubbing his head and smiling broadly.

"You had us scared big guy."

He looked at her a moment. "You was scared too?"

"Mmhmm," she nodded still smiling. "Splinter saved you."

"Yeah, I know. I could hear him. Actually I could hear all of you," Asha blushed hard when she thought back to a conversation she and April had last night. Raph looked at her in amusement.

"Yeah, I heard that too. For the record I do not look adorable without my mask," Asha continued to blush thankful that all his brothers, April, and master Splinter all came rushing in to see him.

"Raphie!" Mikey yelled pushing his brothers out of the way until he was right next to Raph.

"Hey Mikey," he said. "Come a little closer I got somethin' to tell you, s'private." Obediently Mikey leaned down and was immediately caught in a headlock, while Raph lightly smacked the top of his head.

"Heeey!" Mikey hollered trying to get out of the hold.

"That's for going through my magazines. You thought I couldn't hear ya little confession but I did squirt!" Raph said laughing then finally letting a giggling Mikey go.

Splinter came up to the side of the bed a benevolent smile on his face, his eyes shining with unshed tears.

"My son," he said simply as he cradled Raph's face in both his hands. Raph's eyes were shy, a small smile on his face as well. He was blinking rapidly trying to stop tears from falling, as he grasped Splinter's hands in his own.

"Thanks dad, for savin' me," Raphael said.

Splinter made as if to reply, but as the tears fell he found he couldn't speak. After they all welcomed Raphael back, they fixed him a large stack of pancakes. He had to threaten that he was about to 'do something he would regret', before they all stopped hovering over him.

* * *

April left for her last day of work before taking a much needed vacation. Later in the afternoon Donnie turned on the news to see what the people thought of everything that happened over the course of the past week. Everyone took their places as they gave the television their undivided attention.

"…_Breaking news once again the bodies of both the Mayor of New York City, and the Chief of Police have been found. Investigators have no leads other than to say that they found a banner of sorts with a simple logo on the front…"_

Appearing on the screen was the symbol of the Foot Clan.

"…_There has been talk of creating a new task force specifically for cracking down on gang activity in New York, which has been on a significant increase the past few months. The carnage that erupted all over the city, has been attributed to this mysterious Foot Clan, as well as involvement from the Purple Dragon gang. Authorities say they have no idea why the police department stood down…."_

Donnie turned off the television, none of them wanting to see images of the havoc that had been wrought everywhere.

The next morning was a big one. April had gotten some vacation time from her work and decided that it was about time to show the guys her family's farmhouse in upstate New York. Everyone was excited about getting out of the city. Even Splinter had an extra bounce in his step at the prospect of being able to go outdoors and enjoy the warmer weather.

Since they really didn't have any clothes to pack, the brothers helped April and Asha get together. They also took along some practice gear and weapons. Asha even took her pole along with her, promising to teach April a few moves once they got to the farmhouse.

Mikey had ordered several pizzas for them all to munch on during the trip, while Donnie got the GPS coordinates, just in case. By nightfall they were ready to hit the road. April would take the first leg of the trip, and Donnie would take the last. Mikey was in charge of the music, which elicited a groan from Raph, Leo and even master Splinter.

Once they got out of city limits, Asha wanted to stop at a 24-hour department store and get an iPod, some headphones, and some other odds and ends that she was being super secretive about.

It was early the next morning by the time they pulled up into the long driveway. When they got out of the car, the guys were amazed. The spring had made it beautiful with the budding flowers and trees. A distance behind the house they could all see the sun reflecting brilliantly on the surface of a large pond.

"It's not much, but it's home away from home," April said, giving an unnecessary disclaimer.

"Are you kidding angel cakes? This is excellent in the extreme," Mikey said in awe as he looked everywhere at once.

"You guys can be out in the daytime too. There's no one around for miles." April added as she was getting her luggage out of the Shell Raiser. "There's a huge barn too, so Donnie you can set up your lab stuff if you want. It's big enough to double as a training area too so…"

"Thanks so much April. We really needed this. We appreciate you opening up your family home to us," Leo said with a bright smile.

"Don't be so formal about it Leo, I'm glad to have a reason to come back here. I used to love it when my dad brought me here for the summer. Those were some of the best days of my life," she said quietly. For a moment her eyes bore a faraway look, but she quickly recovered.

Everyone claimed rooms once they saw the layout of the house. Master Splinter took the attic, Mikey and April took the master bedroom, Raph and Donnie took the large spacious basement, and Leo and Asha shared a bedroom.

Leo stepped out onto the front porch. He looked out over the wooded area and breathed a sigh of relief. Whatever the future held, he had his family together, and he would make sure they enjoyed some time without having to think of their enemies. Asha stood next to him. He smiled down at her and wrapped a large green arm around her shoulders, and simply enjoyed the beauty of the day.

* * *

Two beautiful Japanese women made their way through Kennedy Airport. They were dressed smartly in business attire, and very little makeup. One had a carry-on bag that looked like an expensive bowling ball bag. They skipped the TSA line. The one with the carry-on bag whispered something to the agent, and they were let through without another word.

They took their seats in first class. It would be a long flight to Okinawa, Japan with only one layover. They were patient. They charmed the stewards and stewardesses, who were more than happy to serve the pleasant guests.

It was the next day when they landed on Japanese soil. A foot clan member was waiting on them with a limousine, and took them directly to headquarters. Once inside they made their way to the inner rooms, reserved only for the head of the Foot and his entourage. At first, the guards attempted to stop them, but the ones who did, found themselves dead at the feet of the women.

Once inside they were met with a small group of ten of the highest ranking Foot members aside from the leader himself. The one with the bag made her way to the very front of the room, while the other woman stood a short distance off to her right, a devious smile curling her pretty red lips.

"Masutāzu wa, watashi ga tsukuru tame ni happyō o motte imasu (Masters, I have an announcement to make)" Setsuko said as she opened the expensive looking bag. She produced its contents, much to the shock and horror of those present.

"Anata no ichizoku no rīdā ga shinde imasu! Watashi wa chikara de ashi no ichizoku o hikitsuide imasu (the leader of your clan is dead! I have taken over the Foot clan by force," she said as she threw the disembodied head of the Shredder to the floor in the midst of the astonished men. She waited for them to somewhat settle down. Kazuko was smiling and looking over the group, proud of what her and her sister had accomplished. From her own bag she reached down and collected the Kuro Kabuto and handed it reverently to Setsuko.

"Īe josei wa kore made ichizoku o rīdo shite inaiga, soreha kyō o henkō shimasu (no woman has ever lead this clan, but that changes today)," Setsuko said, her voice pleasant, but underneath her tone was cold and deadly. "Shredder ni chūjitsudearu koto koko ni aru baai wa, kare ga hanashite mimashou (if there are any here that are loyal to Shredder, let him speak.)"

She produced her whip chains and allowed them to drop to the floor with a light clatter. The men looked at each other for a moment, before they all bowed deeply to her. Setsuko smiled evilly.

"Just as I thought," she said in English as she reveled in her newfound power.

* * *

**A/N: I'm wrapping up this part of the saga here. Thanks to all who read and enjoyed this story. I hope you had as much fun reading as I did writing. The next few stories will either be a relatively short multi-chapter, or a series of one shots that tie this to the next mega multi-chapter I do. The one shots will focus primarily on the romance between Leo and Asha and will take place at the farmhouse.**

**Also I used google translate for the Japanese. I am aware that it's not all that accurate, so any Japanese-speaking people who read this, please forgive me in advance. I hope you don't mind the change of direction for the Foot. Killing off Shredder just kinda happened, and so did two new OC villains. Setsuko, and Kazuko are some evil little wenches, lol. You've been warned. Once again thanks so much for reading.**


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